Musabetsu No Ken
by SSTR87
Summary: The story of Ranma, crossed over with the life and times of Hokuto No Ken Fist of The North Star .
1. Chapter 1

_God Or Devil: The Mightiest Man Emerges_

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Slowly, Ranma crawled back to his senses. In doing so, he regretted the action, as his head was blaring with pain. A dull, thrumming baritone resonated within his skull giving him a sense of vertigo to compound his disorientation.

"Ugh…" Ranma noised. He gently placed a hand to his forehead, wondering just what the tomboy hit him with this time. Kami knows she must have used every object the Tendo Compound possessed! Slowly, he allowed his eyes to open and searched around himself.

'Let's see,' Ranma thought. In the back of his mind something was telling him that something was off, way off. For starters, he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. "Maybe I should turn on a light?"

That was a great plan, only problem was, his arms were both broken, as he found out when he tried to raise up…

Ranma awoke with a cold sweat. He hated the dream, that memory of a lifetime ago. He was the only one in Tokyo to survive the preemptive attack; he could include Ryoga, but technically the lost boy had been in Antarctica at the time, asking penguins for directions.

Ranma quickly got out of his bed - a prison mattress with stitched-together-clothes for bedsheets – and stretched his arms high, forcing his body to work the kinks out. He quickly went through a hundred kata and several of his advanced techniques before leaving his abode.

The past ten years had not been kind to anyone, but Ranma remained, looking like the teen of his youth. While he had retained the Jusenkyo curse, it hadn't been all that much a bother to him.

As he opened the door and entered the hall of the former concentration camp, he was forced to dodge a metal arrow, which he threw back at its sender, puncturing a dehydrated man's chest. "Nice try boy, but you're gonna have to do better than that if you expect to kill me," Ranma taunted the slowly dying man.

With a glint of insanity in his eyes, Ranma stalked over, to the dying man and began kicking at the visible stem of the iron arrow. As the man screamed out in agony, Ranma's face lit up with a smile. "What's that?" he called down while grinding a boot into the open wound.

The man gasped a final time and fell silent, his body going limp.

Ranma's superior smirk faded. "Dam kids, can't even take a few hits these days…" he grumbled and knelt beside the man. Within a breath, Ranma's aura came to bear and he laid a calloused hand on the man's chest.

After a few moments, the man who was so brutally killed came back to life and scurried down the hall, watching Ranma over his shoulder. "I'll kill you yet, demon!" the man swore.

Times had changed. People couldn't just be nice to one another anymore, unless they were in the same village or trade-neighbors. Unfortunately for Ranma, who had forcefully taken control of this city, he was placed in the same category as other people known as leaders and devils.

People like the man he currently had trapped within one of his cells. The man he was currently on his way to see.

The vast hallway leading to the prisoners' ward was badly lit and the swaying of the overhead lamps weren't that helpful either. The walls were made of steel-reinforced stone and the floor was a bullet marble. Everything in this wing had remained untouched by the nuclear blast, a credit to its creators.

When Ranma had first come across this place it was infested with minor hoodlums, using it as a hub and trading station. He had made short work of the gangs' leaders and put the men under his control. Through Ranma's guidance and memories of the past, they had been able to get the power running again and even dug up a wellspring hidden beneath the complex.

The shouts of hatred rang from the two-hundred-some-odd prisoners, who were irate at being left within. Ranma needed only to charge a ball of Ki to gain their silence and fear. "Now that I have your attention," Ranma barked. A few of the prisoners wet themselves as the scent led one to believe.

Ranma directed a reproachful look at a man who had earned his eternal hatred, but also his respect. "Zeeb," Ranma called.

A man-mountain approached the front of his cell. "It's "Zeed", punk! What the hell do _you_ want?" Zeed thundered, twisting his words with vile and disgust. When he looked into Ranma's cold, hard eyes, he spat in Ranma's face. "Don'tchu look at me, _boy_!"

"Zeeb," Ranma smiled cruelly sending shivers down the backs of those inmates who had been here long enough to know would happen. "You're scheduled for Coliseum Duty tonight," Ranma informed the unfortunate fiend.

The sound of several gasps a few sobs were enough to rattle Zeed's cage. "W-What's Coliseum Duty?" Zeed asked, unsure if he would like his answer. Around the room the inmates began hanging from the cage doors and rattling them violently, while others howled like the damned. "SHUT UP!" Zeed sneered, swinging his arm ominously, which only caused more inmates to join in.

Zeed watched with growing dread as Ranma began the long trek to the hallway and disappeared from sight, whistling a funeral tune.

The Sun beat down on the figure brightly. The figure came into focus as he walked on. His body was mostly covered under a brown pelt, and when the wind would blow one could make out the Navy blue pants he wore.

At an instance glance, one could look and see that he was severely dehydrated and malnourished. But these days only a select few weren't and wouldn't normally be seen walking the desert-lands.

The man looked down at the cracked, red earth, and fell to his knees, too weak to stand. With the edges of his vision fading to black, he began to dig in the soil, whispering one word…

"Water…"

As he lay prostrate on the ground, the skull of a cow was thrown away and a hand raced through the earth at him, trying to grasp his throat.

The hand changed into the image of a man with wild flowing blonde hair and a light blue bodysuit with shoulder and knee pads and long lace-up boots.

The dark-haired man opened his eyes quickly and rose up. He looked into the calm sky and saw the woman that he most loved, a redhead with a gentle smile. "Yuria?" Suddenly his countenance changed and he set his jaw, forcing his dying body to move.

"Yuria…" he promised with that one name.

In another location, positioned so that they would never be able to see the drifter, a quartet was tearing through the desert sand, mindful of the bandits that frequented the area. On the dunebuggy they were in, were two five-gallon gas containers of pure water, several trunks of clothing and a sled attached to the back had a live cow strapped on.

They knew they were asking for trouble…

Up on a cliff-face, a group of forty raiders were mounted on their bikes, gunning their engines, licking their bladed axes and spiked clubs and giggling with bloodlust delight. It wouldn't be long before their pack leader allowed them to go.

Ranma moved his set of binoculars away from his eyes and let them fall to his chest. A cruel smirk was plastered on his face. "The girl is mine!" Ranma crowed and revved his bike. "**LET'S** GO!" Ranma ordered, his bike already sailing over the cliff-face.

Behind Ranma, shouts of enjoyment and bloodlust rang through the chasm and spread through the desert land…

."RANMA!" shouted one of the three males, a relatively young guy, with muscles associated with a farmer or city defender. "Ranma's coming!"

The group went pale, but the young woman most especially. Ranma had a rumor about him and what he liked to do with women. There was that rumor and the fact that he had repeatedly made plays at her when she was within her village. "You have to make this thing go faster! HUSBAND!" she urged the driver.

"This is as fast as it'll go!" he hollered over the hum of the engine.

Already the raiders were within eye-seeing distance and still gaining on them. The blood-curdling cries of bloodlust reached their ears, causing the group's hearts to quicken in pace. Would this be the end? Would they die out here in the desert, mowed down like rabid dogs?!

A hail of iron arrows sailed through the air and the driver, the young woman's husband was struck dead, falling from the truck. Quickly she scooted over to take his place. As she was taking the wheel, she caught a glimpse of Ranma riding beside her, arms crossed over his chest as his future-bike – a bike that was electric-powered, had computerized brakes and could outpace any other land vehicle to date.

(AN: If you've seen the movie Akira, I'm talking about Kaneda's bike.)

The steady whistled of magnetic, frictionless, axles pierced the air. "Hey Ruby! Need a lift?" he taunted, grinning lecherously at the woman who looked identical to his aged-female form.

The woman, whose name is not Ruby, grabbed a handcrafted crossbow and fired an arrow at Ranma's forehead, expecting to hit pay dirt. She was sorely surprised when Ranma plucked it from the air and threw it through the front tire, jack-knifing the vehicle.

While in the air, the woman watched her life flash past her eyes and waited for the ground to meet her, only to be caught in Ranma's impossibly strong arms.

The sounds of slaughter grew dimmer, fading into the distance, as Ranma led he and the only thing he found worthy of calling a prize, away.

The Sand Drifter had wandered into the remains of a town, lit by the evening sun, making it appear like a ghost of the past, reliving a time when the building sections were set ablaze.

A handful of men from the earlier raid were playing and telling each other jokes, when the fun was cut short. This part of the town didn't usually get much in the way of visitors, but they would be sure to be extra… _nice_…

As the man walked forward, his perceptions were messed up and could only focus enough to get his body to keep moving forward. With sudden alarm, the muscular drifter was swept off his feet and being dragged by a jeep.

After a few hundred feet, the man charged his battle aura, arced tendrils of electricity and intensity rolled up the length of his body, like water flowing backwards…

The group of raiders - from earlier - were reveling in their victory, and eating of the cow they 'acquired'. Several bonfires burned and gave the area a festive scent, but it was a party for invited guests only.

From the distance a lone biker came tearing up the path to abandoned city, looking like he had seen a monster. "Ranma! There's trouble… With the patrol officers!"

Ranma's head popped out of a tent, followed seconds later by his boxer-clad body. "What is it this time?" he asked with exasperation. If he had to heal another vital gash because of their tomfoolery, he was gonna let the bastards suffer horribly before they died this time.

Ranma arrived to a scene of utter carnage and devastation. Smoke rose in tufts of black columns and the air reeked of burned fossil fuels.

There was no taint of Ryoga's anger or depression and there wasn't the overwhelming feel from Herb cutting loose. So, "Who did this?" Ranma questioned.

"Hey Ranma!" called a burly giant, as he knelt low to check for signs of life. "There's something weird about these bodies… I've never seen wounds like these."

Another man, this one with a blue Mohawk, remarked with his opinion. "It's almost like they were ripped apart from the inside…"

"Ranma," called the guy who had first spoken, "this guy's still breathing!"

"What was that?" Ranma questioned. He had heard rumors of this fighting style being used before, but had never witnessed it by his own eyes. Ranma and several others hurried to side of the man regaining awareness.

The man grabbed onto Ranma's arm, "Hokuto… NO!! Kennn….." As he finished speaking, his face began to swell at an alarming rate, until it exploded, sending bits of skull and blood everywhere…

Still the howls, metal-shaking and skin-slapping persisted. Ranma was particularly impressed; he had been gone for over half the morning.

By this time, Zeed was already a broken man. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his heels, with eyes like pinpricks and tears running down his cheeks while tried valiantly to hold his hands over his ears and block out the sound.

Ranma stared down at the pathetic husk of a man. Truth be told, he had hoped to break his spirit on his own. "Hey there Zeeb, I've got a little job for you…"

A young red-haired girl walked joyfully through the dirt road of the barely striving village, carrying an old banged up pail. The smile on he girl's face warmed the fearful, cold hearts of the villagers and all would do their best to keep the girl happy.

The young girl trotted up to an old man, sitting on the heated soil and guarding the entrance gate. She opened her mouth as if to giggle, but no sound came out. The man released a withering breath; he always hated this time of day. "I'm sorry Lynn, but I don't have any water to spare," he told her, but the only thing that was keeping him from giving the girl water was his wife who outsized him in height and in strength.

The girl's eyes shimmered with unshed tears and she lowered her gaze. Sometimes it just wasn't fair! Sure she didn't do as much work as the others, but what she did do, she did with her whole heart! For that very reason, she was not given enough water to sustain herself and the little puppy she had found and was raising.

When the girl moved to leave, the older man's will began to crack. "Hold on Lynn, I might be able to spare just a little…" the man informed as he pulled out a flask.

A short distance away a commotion began. "I just caught him **stealing** an apple!"

"C'mon guys," the boy pleaded looking up into the angry eyes. "It was just an apple! It's not like it's goin' ta hurt anyone..."

"What? That's the third time this week!"

"I say we punish the little thief!"

"Punish me?!" the boy sounded shocked at the idea and was forced to swallow around the lump forming in his throat.

"Yeah, good idea!"

"We're gonna chop off your hands brat, then you should learn your lesson about stealing!"

"Chop off…" the boy swallowed hard and looked down at his pride and joys, "my hands…?" Suddenly an idea struck him and he clutched onto it like a life preserver. "I've got it! How about I perform for ya? That way we can call things even?' Without waiting for a response, the boy began playing his beat-up, old harmonica.

The tune he played was one he had made up awhile back to cheer himself and those around him up; and from the less menacing visages, it appeared to be working. As he played he began to dance, a few leg-twists here and a kick there, and he went for the grand finale – a perfect backflip.

Just after landing, the boy fell to the ground on his rump, whining about being too hungry. That was al they could stand; the group of men began laughing heartily. It was during this time, that a drifter entered the village gate and came strolling right by the group of laughing men, which caught their attention.

The transient dragged his decaying body – step-by-step - to a fresh-spring well, and began hoisting the bucket up with the crank arm.

"We got us a water thief!" Shouted one of the males. The group gathered their wits and slapped the bucket from the wanderer's hands, spilling the water back into the well. As a unified front, they beat the man and dragged him away.

"Now's my chance to escape," the boy thought with glee and tried tiptoeing away.

However, a hand that landed on the boy's shoulder was telling him otherwise. "Where do you think you're going brat?"

Ranma revved the engine to his electric bike, sending a high-pitched whistle into the air. "Che," he noised with an annoyed expression on his face. "Something's wrong, I can feel it…" Ranma related aloud.

From her place, lounging on a sofa and wearing sheer silks, the woman Ranma named Ruby rolled her eyes. "If I had a dagger, I'd show you what was wrong, Ranma." The spite in her voice was palpable.

Ranma smirked, this was one of the reasons he had sought this woman. "I'd be happy to give you a dagger Ruby, my gem," Ranma reached within his shirtsleeve and pulled out a custom dagger, shaped like a Chinese dragon in flight. "Just be careful, you could put out an eye," So saying, Ranma tossed the dagger to embed itself a quarter-inch from Ruby's head on the back of the couch.

Ruby sat stock-still, fear causing her body to shudder. "Th-th… Thank you…" she squawked out, with a dry throat.

Ranma pushed the bike from the room and headed for the entry gate.

Still shaking from her near death, Ruby could only watch as the man called Damien, Son of the Devil, laughed like a madman…

Within his cell, the wanderer watched as a young girl brought him some water with a sweet smile on her face. He couldn't repress the smile that spread over his own face.

"Idiot! You really screwed up," a voice came from the back of the cell. The wanderer took a moment to look at him and turned back to the girl at guard duty. The boy spat in disgust at the man.

The girl knelt down and offered the stranger a cup of water, setting it reverently on the ground. Seeing an opportunity to escape – and with his hands in tact, no less – the boy charged the girl and pulled her arms into the cell.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Grab the keys!" he barked at the idiot. "They'll hang us both! You were caught stealing!"

The man reached up from his place, lying on the ground and gripped the boy's elbow, which had the effect of sending tendrils of energy sparking in all directions from the point of contact.

The boy's eyes enlarged and he jerked back with surprise, causing the girl to rocket away and land on her backside, rubbing the sensation from his elbow. The sensation only increased, until the boy was on the ground, rolling in agony. "That hurts! What'd you do?!"

The man ignored the blood-curdling howls of pain and addressed the host. "Forgive me. May I have another cup of water?"

The young girl stared into the man's compassionate eyes, and for the first time in years she felt like she had a parent again. She hastily got to her feet and nodded with a smile.

The boy, who was finally regaining control over his arm, gave the drifter a cursory glance over. "Hey you, what the hell's your problem?"

The drifted settled down and laid his head to rest on his forearm like a pillow. "What would happen to that girl, if you had run away?"

While the man had spoken lightly, the acoustics of the former police jail sent the words to the girl. She stopped mid-step and turned to face the man, shock and awe in her visage.

"That's a wimpy thing to say these days, mister!" the boy accused. 'Seriously, what kind of a coward has magic like him, but doesn't use it to take control?' the boy thought in annoyance.

A lone man, riding his bike through one of the large expanses of desert enjoyed the feel of the wind in his hair. It was a lot better than walking, and the sun seemed to be especially nasty today.

With a suddenness that surprised the rider, he sneezed and nearly bit the dust.

"What the hell?! Someone must be plottin' my death!" he shouted to deserted mountains around him. Deciding it would be best to reach his destination faster than anyone else could achieve, he opened up the throttle and blasted through the desert at nearly 250 MPH.

"She doesn't speak," the boy named Bart informed the drifter, after watching him try to speak with the girl. "Her heart's all closed up,"

The man's head whipped to face the young girl. "She doesn't talk?"

"I heard that she saw her own parents and older brother get killed by bandits; so it's not really all that surprising," Bart spouted, chewing on the confection the girl had brought. "Ever since then, the shock has kept her from talkin'," the boy shrugged his shoulders dispassionately. "She's all alone now, that's why she guards the jails, even though she's just a kid. Those guys out there are usually pretty mean to her; sucks to be a kid these days…" something in voice said that he knew all too well the situation the young girl was in.

Had he of stopped to look, he would have noted that the girl had gone ashen-faced, remembering the horrible events that always stayed fresh in her mind. A few tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Well, guess she chose the wrong time to be born!" the boy teased, hiding his emotions under a façade again. He looked up to the drifter, but noted the girl's expression. "Oh! I'm so sorry Lynn! I know you can't choose when you're born!" he tried, hoping to console the girl and apologize in one fell swoop. "I'm sorry…"

Seeing the girl's tears, "It's tough, huh?"

The young girl shook her head, trying to put on a brave front, but the man knew that she must have seen hell.

The wanderer leaned forward against the railing of the cage and reached for her head. For a moment the girl looked read to scream and retreat. "It's alright, hold still," he coaxed her, and set his hands to the sides of her head. He spent a moment concentrating and sent a bolt of energy into her body, releasing her tongue and ebbing away the memories.

A duo of villagers came to the girl's place and barked to the prisoners. "Get up! The elder has returned."

In a room lit with candles and lanterns an old man with a long white beard was standing on a dais, with four guards at his sides, ready to defend him at a moment's notice.

The drifter was dragged forcibly into the room and made to stand at the elder's front, suspended by a guard on each arm.

"Where are you going?" the elder asked of the drifter. His well-aged eyes had seen many a thing in his days, so he knew a man on a mission when he saw one.

"No where special," the drifter replied. He really saw no need to tell the elder of his quest, as it was dangerous enough as it is.

"Elder do you think he might be one of Zeed or Ranma's men?" asked a burly man with tanned skin. He really didn't feel like being the one to ask, but knew that someone had to.

"If he is one of Zeed's, then he'll have some marking on his body; but he's definitely not Ranma's or he wouldn't be needing water," the elder spoke. 'At the worst this man is one of Zeed's who got separated from his pack during another squabble with Ranma's forces.' "Remove his clothing," the elder commanded, preparing his aged eyes to see any marks of Zeed – usually Z666.

Two men came up and ripped away his cloak, denim vest and red shirt, revealing seven scars that went down his frontside in the shape of the dig dipper.

The elder gasped in horror, his eyes fixated on the scars.

"Elder, what's wrong?!" asked a young man, stepping forward and ready to defend with his life.

'The big dipper… The stars that foretell death,' The Elder thought with much trepidation. 'Wherever this symbol appears, Chaos follows… This is a bad omen, very bad!'

A cry rent the air, bringing all conversations to an end. "TROUBLE, IT'S ZEED! EVERYONE GET READY!"

Riding like demons on wheels, Zeed led his pack of marauders to the small village, hoping to succeed in this endeavor before Ranma returned.

The echoes of bloodlust began to stir within the chest of Zeed, a feeling he had lost while locked up and awaiting coliseum duty, whatever that was. "HUH! HUH! HUHHAHAHAHA!" Zeed laughed in glee as he mowed down the village's pathetic protectors. "DIE WEAKLINGS!"

All around, the area was bathed in blood and death.

A man just finished locking the drifter in his cell, and handed the keys to Lynn, the 8-year-old girl. "Lynn, come on, you have to fight too," he remarked. It was a sad but true statement.

Lynn firmed her resolve and prepared her heart for death. Just before heading into battle, she tossed the keys to the drifter.

Ranma was riding hard, and pushing his bike to its limit and then some. He had a goal to meet and no time to waste!

He pulled the bike to a halt for a brief moment and looked around the basin he was passing. 'Damn, I could have sworn I just saw something…' he thought. Ranma unfastened the helmet and slid it off his head, freeing his long-flowing black hair.

The sound of motors greeted Ranma's ears, telling him that things were about to get interesting…

"Oh man!" Bart gloated. "She's got it bad for you!" he knelt down and lifted the keyring, spinning it on a finger, "She let you have the keys; she knows she might get killed!" Through it all Bart was grinning ear-to-ear, ready to make his great escape.

The drifter turned his head ever so slightly. "Lynn might get killed?" he questioned the boy.

Bart shrugged back his shoulders, "Well, Zeed and his men kill women and children." Bart informed as he began the task of testing the keys on the lock. "Eh…? What's wrong with this thing?" A movement from off to the side, caught Bart's attention and he turned to face the drifter.

The man placed a hand on two bars that stood next to each other, bolts of pure power arc from his body, some reaching three feet over his head. He began to exercise a breathing technique that augmented his power tenfold. With strength only a select few possess, the man twisted the bars apart, wide enough to fit a horse through, comfortably.

Bart freaked, in astonishment of the power that this drifter possessed. "Just where does he keep his power…?"

Ranma looked at the twenty or so soldiers that surrounded him, carrying clubs that extended into ninchaku. "Hey, do any of you big strong guys think you could tell me where I can find Shin?" Ranma questioned, striking a pose that was only attractive in his female form.

The group of men seemed repulsed by the thought of a man being their bedmate. "NOW YOU'RE GONNA DIE, ASS-HOLE!" shouted one of the men, the rest more than happy to oblige. As one they rushed at Ranma, trying to put him down fast.

Ranma smirked, 'Still haven't lost my touch, I guess…' he mused. Ranma dodged around wild swings and savage kicks, easily avoiding the men's clumsy assaults. "If this is the best you can do, then I shouldn't have wasted my time on you! I've a schedule to keep, you know," Ranma taunted, infuriating the men.

"I'll show **you** what I think of your _schedule_!" one of the more burly men stated. With a gesture, all the others stepped back and away, giving space for a one-on-one battle. "Alright, Capt. Sparx!" "YEAH! CRUSH 'EM!" Whistles and hoots came up from the group as they cheered on the second most revered fighter in God's Army.

Sparx, a two-meter tall man, was of African descent and had dreadlocks that reached his shoulder blades, and dark shades that hid his eyes. The blue military uniform was crisp and unwrinkled, and though he was out in the desert, not a speck of dust was on it. "Before you die, I want to know your name, so I can tell the colonel you were looking for God." The man presented the statement like Ranma were an uneducated toddler.

Ranma gave a rueful smile - due to the training styles he had acquired after Happosai's death, he was able to halt his ageing. "The name's Ranma, Ranma Saotome of Musabetsu No Ken: The Infinity Fist."

Sparx appeared wholly unimpressed and quite bored with the presentation. Adjusting his shades just to the slightest, he gave Ranma a scornful look. "I'll admit that you've got some skill boy, but there ain't no way you gonna beat me. So, why don't you go running back to your mother's bosom?" He made a shooing motion with his hands. If he didn't have to kill the brat then he wouldn't, but it really didn't matter either way.

Ranma spat on the vest of the captain's uniform. "Oh, silly me, I should watch my aim…" Ranma apologized, though to anyone who was watching, they could tell Ranma meant not a word of it.

"DIE!"

Ranma ducked quickly, smashing through the sound barrier and avoiding a lightning quick whip-strike, aimed for his heart. Seeing that the fight was finally on, he decided to let go of a few of his restraints…

Sparx came at Ranma with his unique style of Whip-strike fighting; a tradition passed down his family since his people were slaves. "Feel my Blitz Hurricane!" Sparx shouted, and perform two hundred thousand whip-strikes in the span of thirty seconds.

Ranma was pushing his body harder than he had since the last time Ryoga and Herb dropped by. "I** must** be getting out of shape, for _you_ to almost hit me!"

Faster than the eye could follow, Ranma lashed out and sent a fist crashing through the skull of his foe, killing him instantly. "Well, _that_ was anti-climactic," Ranma groused. "I figured he could dodge as fast as he could strike, but I guess not…"

From the shadows of a toppled building, the drifter came rushing out. He froze in surprise.

"Don't you move, or I'll snap this girl's neck like a twig!" Zeed thundered as he held Lynn above his head. In the background, the sound of cackling men could be heard. "You got that? Now bring us all your food and water!"

One man, the only with strength to carry on, shouted to the gathered. "We've got no choice! We have to fight back, NOW!"

Zeed smirked haughtily. "Guess you won't believe me unless you see me do it, huh?" he grunted and began to twist the girl's body one-way and her head the other.

The small girl gasped with fear and pain.

Having seen enough, the drifted began a slow, steady pace, towards the gang leader, Zeed.

The girl saw the man from the corner of her eyes and used the last bit of strength she could muster. "K… KEN!" Zeed paused and turned around to spot the man approaching him with a deathwish. "NO! DON'T!" Lynn refused to watch another person she cared about get killed in front of her eyes.

Around the spectacle the villagers were in shock. "No way, she talked?! He really did it? Just who is that guy?" Bart questioned himself.

Ken paused in his steps, assessing the mass of his enemies. And after a second, began to walk again, his pace never ebbing. Finally, after a short eternity, Ken arrived to face the leader of the pack.

The wind picked up for a moment, adding an eerie gloom to the entire area. A few of the Zeed Gang showed expressions of shock and worry. It only lasted a moment; then the group charged forward to stand guard at their leader's front flanks. "Who the hell are you?! You bastard!" Zeed demanded.

Ken stared impassively and cracked his knuckles, preparing to fight. "Get lost."

That did it! Ten of Zeed's men thundered out snide remarks and comments before raising their weapons high and charging. "You've got some nerve!" "Now you're gonna die!"

Ken lashed out with a sidekick, and added a reverse spin to it, snapping back the heads of the oncoming men. With acrobatic skills the group had never witnessed, Ken twirled through the air and landed behind the recovering group, to stand within Zeed's personal space.

"Ken!" Lynn cried in surprise.

Back a distance, the men felt along their jawlines, trying to assess their damages. "What the hell? That didn't even hurt!" "Why, you…" "You wanna make fools of us?! Fools of- fools of- fools OOOF!"

Before everyone's eyes, the man's head began to bulge, twist and ripped itself to pieces, from the inside out.

If that were all then there would be no problem, but it wasn't… "IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" "Wha- What the hell?!" and the rest of the previous attackers repeated their ally's gruesome death, spewing gore across the sun-dried sand.

As the bodies settled into their final resting places, Zeed and his men shook with fear. Not even Ranma could blow people up like that!

"Wha- what was that?" Bart asked no one in particular, therefore got no reply.

The old man, the village's elder, gasped out the words, "Ho- Hokuto… Shin Ken…"

Ken stepped up to the face of Zeed who was frozen stock-still. "Let that girl go now," he commanded softly.

Like a bullhorn sounding its cry, Ken's voice awakened the awed man. Charging his energy, "You killed my men! For that I'll break her neck!" Zeed shouted. He flexed his arm muscles in preparation and began to do so.

"RAAAHH!" Ken released a mighty roar, his voice sounding loudly around the silent village. The blue vest and red shirt he wore shredded from his form like tissue paper; which revealed the seven scars shaped like the big dipper.

Zeed lurched back in alarm, but it was already too late… Flashes of movement allowed one to see Ken strike at certain spots on the face; the nose, right cheek, right temple, everything after that nothing more than a blur of movement as Ken struck points throughout the giant's body.

"WAA! TATATATATATATATATATATATATATA! WAAA! TATATATATATATATATATA! YATAAA!" At the end, Zeed's body was lifted airborne in slow motion.

Lynn was dislodged from her place in Zeed's hands and fell toward the earth with a cry of fright… Only to be caught by Ken. To their backside, Zeed was still coming down from his impossibly slow flight.

Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken! (Hundred Crack Fist Of The North Star!)

'I've heard that long ago a terrible killing technique was created,' the elder mused, lost in thoughts of the past. Zeed's eyes sprang open. 'It was called Hokuto Shin Ken!' Zeed tested his face for any kind of damage. 'All the fighter's energy is focused into one blow; it hits the vital points, called tsubos (pressure points)…' Finding none, he sat up with murder in his eyes. 'He has just performed a killing technique!' From behind Ken, the massive form of Zeed rose to his full ten-foot height, enshrouded by shadows. 'That damages the body from the inside-out, not the outside-in.'

"Your fists are about as strong as a mosquito's!" Zeed mocked, clutching a mace tightly in his arm.

Ken showed no emotion as he spoke. "You are already dead."

"What?!" Zeed snorted with disdain, until his face began to contort in impossible ways, followed by his belly extending by a full foot. "You've got to be kidding m-!" His cry was cut short when his head flew off.

Immediately after, a geyser of blood erupted from the hole, bathing the area in crimson. His upper torso split down the middle, rocketing in different directions, pulling back together and causing the entire body section to shred to hunks of flesh and pools of blood.

Bart felt his knees turn to jelly and he fell to his backside when they could no longer support him.

The only things remaining of Zeed were his massive lower legs and the boots on them. And soon, even those flew of into the distance.

Ranma shivered as a chill passed down his spine. He quickly scanned the area, left to right and saw nothing but dust for miles. The steady thrum of his electric bike was the only noise that greeted his ears.

"I'm glad I let that fool go free. I'd bet that he went chasing after the man with seven scars," Ranma mused. "Oh well, can't help everyone!" With that, Ranma kicked up the front wheel and hauled ass through the desert land, in search of the ultimate game…

"Colonel! Colonel!" cried the voice of one of the special force operatives.

The Colonel, a massively muscular man with an eyepatch that covered his right eye and a diagonal scar that crossed from the bottom of his left eye to the far left side of his face. "What is it Sgt. Mad?" he questioned calmly.

Sgt. Mad was a giant among giants, with a boot the size of an average man's torso. He had rumors following him spanning for decades, some about killing 500 men single-handedly, others of over a thousand.

Sgt. Mad bowed with reverence to his leader. "Sir, a message just arrived for you at the base of the tower!"

The Colonel grinned madly and rose from his throne. Perhaps now he would be getting that promotion he had been waiting for… "Lead the way, Mad."

The man was shocked. Completely and utterly shocked.

There really wasn't any better an explanation for the emotions traveling through his body. "Wh- Who?" he tried to ask but the incredulity made his attempts all for naught. "Who did this?"

The "This" he was speaking of was a bloodied mess, formerly known as Captain Sparx, the meanest, toughest, bad guy around, and his entire squad; all them were squished into a jeep overflowing with the blood of the dead, even as the jeep tried to continue its path forward.

"There ain't nothin' other than God that could kill Cap'n Sparx!" shouted one of the lieutenants, a man with a slender mustache and a face that spoke volumes of Sadism.

"But why would God want to kill Sparx? It just doesn't make any sense…" replied Sgt. Mad.

The Colonel had remained silent as he assessed the method used to kill these men. "I've seen this killing style before…" he informed, lifting a dismembered arm. "A man called the Dragon King used it; it was back during the war. We had been sent to take control of a place called Jusenkyo Valley."

Sgt. Mad paled as he and Sparx were the only other members to have been a part of the original Red Berets. "You can't mean that that bastard is still alive? We dropped a nuke on his castle!"

"I'm not saying anything, the evidence speaks for itself," the Colonel gestured at the bleeding jeep, turned on his heel and left. He had some reports to make to God before things got out of control.

The sun hung low in the sky as it threatened to sink below the horizon. All around the sky was painted red, unlike the days past when it would give a plethora of colors.

"Hey! Why don't you stay in the village? A guy as powerful as you could have it easy!" Bart called out as he chased behind Ken.

Ken said nothing, but continued traveling on his way, prepared to venture through the uncaring sands of the desertworld.

"All the food and water you want," he continued, unabated. "Hey!" he shouted when Ken still refused to answer him. "Hold on a sec," he whispered to himself, plotting an idea in his own mind. "If I stick with him, I'll never go hungry again… H-HEY! Wait for me!" he called and charged off after him…

Back at the settlement, Lynn realized that Ken was no longer there at her side. Both the young girl and her puppy charged after the retreating form already at a distance in the desert, "KEN…! KEEEN! KEN!" she was forced to halt her run when her frail couldn't keep up the pace.

Tears began to well up in the eyes of the girl, and only through a strong willpower was she able to hold back the urge to break down sobbing. "Why? Why are you leaving? Ken…"

From behind the young stood the ancient. "It is said that wherever the sign of the Big Dipper appears, Chaos follows."

Lynn turned her gaze up at the elder, tears still running down her face.

"That man left to save this village, and to save you, too." The elder continued, staring respectfully at the back of Ken's retreating form. "Do you understand Lynn?" The elder placed a reassuring hand on the shoulder of the village's youngest inhabitant.

Lynn couldn't hold back the tears and began to spill anew. "Ken… Ken… KEN!!"

End of CHAPTER ONE.

Wow! This took me a _very_ long time!

When I throw in aspects of different shows I'll try to add an 'AN:' to give you a heads up.

LWH ()

Started 12/15/2007 Completed 12/20/2007

Revised 01/04/2008 & 06/09/2008


	2. Chapter 2

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

"Almost all life has ceased to exist…"

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

"However, Mankind has not…"

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Ranma was suffering from shellshock when he came to.

A beautiful woman with short-cropped blue hair was attending to his physical, and some point in time he had been relieved of all his clothing. Ranma "Eep"ed and covered his private parts. From his place behind the medical bed, Ranma observed the room he was in. The walls were pristine white with medical tools that he never seen before hanging. The bed he had so recently occupied reminded him of Tofu's medical beds, which told him hat he was in some manner of medical facility.

"Where am I?" he asked the lady who was having trouble retaining her laughing fit.

"You're in Juuban Medical, young man. About an hour ago you wandered into town with a dazed look in your eyes." The woman informed, her voice was light and filled with kindness and warmth, a feeling her been sorely lacking in his life.

He took a moment to read the nameplate on her chest, "Mizuno-Sensei (Doctor Mizuno)"

Suddenly, the words clicked. "Juuban?! But that's in Minato Ward! I was just in Nerima!" Ranma shouted in complete disbelief.

The doctor's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she bolted from the room. The muffled shouts of "Get H-VAC over here! We've got our first Nerima survivor!" Shortly after the shout dissipated, the lady returned to the room with a haunted look in her eyes. "We both have to be scanned for radiation poisoning… I hope my daughter is safe-"

Before the sentence could be completed, the building's roofing came down, raining shrapnel through out the room. Ranma had barely enough time to shield the doctor's body with his own, before the dust and fallout from the nuke ripped through the space they used to occupy…

Ruby stretched her slender form and arced her back to work away the kinks from sleeping in the giant, four-post bed. "That was easily the best night's sleep I've ever gotten, she mused aloud.

Since she had been alone the entire day-past, and for the night she was surprised when she got a response. "I'm glad my father was able to do something right for you," came the snide voice of a teenage princess as she strolled into the room.

Ruby, as her new name was, spent a moment eyeing the girl from top to bottom. She was wearing a long-flowing white dress; complete with embroidered precious stones and a platinum tiara, crested with the image a stallion on its rear legs, burning with a blue flame. The girl's figure belayed her grace and screamed that she was dangerous if ever crossed.

"And who would you be, miss?" Ruby questioned, already not liking where the conversation was heading.

"I am Princess-Hime (Princess "Princess"), heir to Utopia, the nation my father is building. I assume you are Ruby?" The young thirteen-year-old spoke with a certainty that forced one to accept that she knew her father. "He's been speaking about getting you for almost as long as he has Pearl."

"Pearl?" Ruby inquired. While she didn't particularly like Ranma - what with him slaughtering her husband and friends just to acquire her - she really didn't want to be some member of a collection or a harem girl.

Princess-Hime nodded and walked out onto the banister. Leaning on her forearms she sighed with longing. "Father has gone crazy I'm afraid. Ever since mother died, back when I was born, he's been looking for replacements," the girl explained and tilted her head back to look at Ruby. "She has to be beautiful, kind and strong enough to stand up for herself, and a good role-model for me."

"A role-model? I thought…" Ruby trailed off. She didn't want to be the one who told the girl her father was a maniacal tyrant, dead-set on kidnapping a woman or two.

Princess-Hime gave a short giggle, sounding like rain on a lake. "Let me guess, you thought he was just some conqueror, seeking your body for his carnal desires?" Ruby had the grace to look down with embarrassment for being found out. Princess gave the older woman a warm smile. "Come with me, there's something I've got to show you,"

With that, the younger grabbed the arm of the elder and both left the room.

"CLOSE THE GATES!"

"CLOSE THE GATES!"

"CLOSE THE GATES!"

Jennifer looked up from where she was in the process of checking over her bike. "Wait!" she called out to the passing crowd of sentries. When none made any effort to give her their attention, she reached out and snagged a passing man's leg.

The poor sap… He went tumbling end over end for a good fifteen meters. After a few quick checks, he determined that he was all right and got up to his feet, hoping no one else saw him trip.

Jennifer rushed to the man before he could run away. "You there!" The man turned his gaze to meet an eighteen-year-old blonde bombshell with crystal blue eyes, and a perfect figure. "Why is the gate being closed?"

It took the man a good few seconds, but he recognized the voice as belonging to Jennifer and mentally kicked himself in the rear. "Miss Jennifer, you've got to get to safety! One of the watchers spotted Ranma heading this way!"

Jennifer blinked owlishly.

With his mistress being out of it, the man grabbed her wrist and ran off towards a bunker.

Ranma stared into the architecture of the city he was approaching. Unlike most others, this one appeared to have sustained the least damage from the fall out, and so, it allowed the buildings to retain their enormous glory.

Ranma couldn't resist from whistling. Now was his second time arriving in this city. The first time he hadn't been recognized until he had left, but this time they would know and be ready for him. 'Just the way I like it!'

Ranma came to a sliding halt, and dismounted his bike calmly. He pulled his reflective sunglasses from his face and smirked at the wall of sentry. "Good day to you all!" Ranma waved with a friendly smile, trying to gain some semblance of trust.

One of the elders to the village came to the fore. "Damien, I thought we made it clear to you that we don't want you around here, the last time we saw you."

Ranma shrugged not losing any of his mirth. "That was then, old man. I came by to claim Jennifer as my bride and this city as my retreat." Ranma held a hand up and formed a ball of red ki, sending tendrils of malevolent energy wafting through the air. "We can do this the easy way, the hard way or my way, old coot."

The elder gritted his teeth. There was a reason he was called Damien, the son of the devil. One of them was because of the cruel manner he enjoyed killing people with…

"FIRE!!" the elder ordered.

Following the old man's wisdom, the sky wept wooden tears, all aimed for Ranma.

Ranma watched as the clear sky darkened and a thousand arrows came down in a steady torrent of screaming banshees. "Damn," he cursed as the shrieks began throwing of his aim and giving him a sense of vertigo.

Jennifer came to as the sound of her best friend, a chubby young man, dressed in a yellow sweater vest over a white dress shirt and a pair navy blue slacks, began talking with the man who had dragged in here.

"You should have taken her out of the village while you had the chance!" her long time friend Mon said.

"If someone were to leave the village, don't you think that Ranma would go after them?"

The chubby man adopted a contemplative look. "Well, I guess you d have a point."

Jennifer rose from the straw bedding she had been set upon and gazed through the bunkers window. "What are Ranma's demands?"

"J-Jennifer!" Mon shouted, surprised his buddy was up and active again. "She's gonna send me to my early grave… Ranma said he wants you as his bride and this city as his retreat…"

Jennifer bit her lower lip. "…"

"Jennifer! You can't seriously be considering his request!"

Jennifer walked out from the room in silence.

The two young men locked gazes. "I'm sure she's not going to give in."

"You don't understand! She's had a crush on Ranma since she was fifteen! Now she has to choose between her dream or the safety of the city…"

The sentry stared at the door that Jennifer had passed through moments ago. "That poor girl…"

Ranma was bathed in the blood of his victims. The stench of fresh-spilled blood lingered through the air, causing those with lesser stomachs to hurl.

The battle had been against the town of Jena from the beginning. The original barrage of arrows had shredded Ranma's clothing and even a few had pierced him. But now… Now they were witnessing first-hand, where Ranma got the title "Damien".

A freak sandstorm blew into the city, blinding the men of Ranma's whereabouts by the third round of arrow fire. It was then that Ranma had begun his killing orgy, slaughtering every man and woman he came upon, laughing hysterically. Through the thick dust a pair of red eyes pulsed, preceding the death of all who looked at it.

Ruby paused to do a double take. The princess had just taken her through the wall structure of a concentration camp, where the sounds of screaming and bullwhips cracking through the air echoed loudly, into a real life oasis of life. In here were people of all kinds, trading goods with printed money and wearing clothes that looked brand new, and the teens wore the latest fad in clothing, which was very little. From what Ruby could tell, girls in bikinis were cute, guys in baggy coats and jeans were hot, and young adults with multiple piercings were abound.

"What happened to the screams of the tortured?" Ruby requested. Not that she wanted to witness such things, but curiosity was getting the best of her.

Princess-Hime giggled at her associate. "Do you like it? Daddy had it installed to scare away bandits if they ever got in here. I'm not sure how it works though; father said something about Psychosynapses, or something like that." The girl shrugged her slender shoulders and led the older woman to follow her further into the compound.

Ranma cackled like a deranged maniac, as he ripped the entrails from a young man defending the village. "Bring me Jennifer! And while you're at it, bring out the old man too!" Ranma added after a few moments thought. After all the old fool had been the one responsible for him killing so many today.

"R-Ranma…"

Ranma froze mid-swing, his knife-edge hand halfway embedded in a new man's sternum. "Ah, Jennifer…" Ranma grinned like a devil; his eyes narrow slits.

Looking at the man who had once saved her from Herakles of Greece, when he decided to make side trip through time and claim a bride. But **that** is a different story.

The sound of a harp being plucked in a sad lullaby was the only sound within the master chamber of Shin, known to most as King. He was not all that much an impressive sight, standing at just under two meters and having about as much muscle as the average farmer, but his appearance was not what inspired fear and respect, it was his lethal style of combat; for Shin was **the** master of Nanto Sei Ken, the other side to the killing style known as Hokuto Shin ken. His blonde hair was blown lightly in the wind that passed through his hair.

"Your music is as beautiful as ever, Yuria," Shin praised, hoping to raise the spirit of the woman he so loved.

Yuria was a pale, malnutritioned beauty; though Shin had offered her meals beyond anything his own men had ever seen in their lives. Her lush red hair was now a light purple, and her eyes, once shining with joy and life were now dull and exuded a sense of defeat and depression. "The music represents the sorrow in my heart, Shin." She was like a caged wild bird. Before she was radiant, now she stared out at the world longing in her whole being.

A flash of movement gave attention to the arrival of Shin's right hand lackey, the one that he would always be able to trust. King looked to Joker with fury in his eyes. "What do you want Joker?"

Joker a slender man with feathers that emerged from the collar of his shirt, smiled; his short hair making the smile seem inhuman. "I'm sorry to intrude on your quality time, Master, but I thought you would like to know, Ranma has taken control of Zeed's zone now, and word has spread that he is moving to take The Four Jacks' territory."

Shin knew that the deluded man was in love with him, and quite frankly, it disturbed him. The only reason he kept Joker around was because he had been trained the most in Nanto Sei Ken. "Thank you for the information, you may leave," Shin waved his arm dismissively.

This was the last thing he needed! Ranma – the lout who dared proclaim himself Emperor within King's conquered territories – was expanding at an uncontrolled rate. "Well, we'll just see how he likes dealing with an army at his front gate," Shin trailed off with maniacal laughter and Yuria began to play her sad tune once again…

Saffron, a man-made-god, floated in a lazy spiral through the air, with enormous wings seemed to burn with living flame. Floating as guards to Saffron were Kiima - the woman from earlier – Masara and Koruma.

Ruby took in the majestic sight was much splendor. Unlike the people around who weren't even paying more attention than the clear the ground, she was stuck watching him with an unhinged jaw.

Princess-Hime's face lit up with excitement. "Saff-Kun!" she called and charged forward, tackling the much larger man to the ground. The two of them tumbled end over end for a short distance, before the momentum was spent.

The mass of legs arms and wings began the difficult process of disentangling from each other. Saffron smiled fondly at the bundle of energy in his arms. "And how are you today, Princess?" he asked of the girl.

"Better, now that you're here!" she chirruped in reply. The smile on her face was rivaling the light of the sun.

The sound of a throat being cleared brought the two back to reality… With a blush and speed inherited through years of training, the two were on their feet and a distance apart.

"OH! I can't believe I forgot… This is my father's girlfriend, Ruby."

Ruby rolled her eyes, "More like a slave or trophy for his showcase…" she groused beneath her breath, though Saffron easily heard her.

"It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Ruby. Ranma has spoken often and highly of you." Saffron greeted, giving the woman a flourishing bow. "Perhaps we shall become better acquainted over a hearty meal?" he suggested when the two women's stomachs rumbled…

The Sun sunk planning to hide behind the endless expanse of desert, after shining mercilessly on the dead soil. The air was beginning the last stages of distortion due to the incredible heat.

Lynn continued to squat in the place she last saw Ken, staring into the miles of red earth. The dry wind buffeted at her face and pulled at her hair, yet she showed no signs of noticing it.

To all who had known the girl before, she was now a hollow shell waiting to be broken; the joy and silent laughter she gave before was no more.

The little white puppy she had taken to raising ran up to the girl and whimpered at her feet.

"Ken…" she called out quietly. The echoes of a memory replayed in her mind, "That man isn't coming back" the elder had told her.

For the first time in the day she realized that she wasn't alone. The elder stood a few paces behind her. "You can watch a thousand sunrises, and that man won't return."

"HE WILL!" she protested with certainty. "I know he will!"

The elder looked into the far reaches of the sky and at the gloomy scene of the retreating sun. "Come, the sun is about to set;" the old man said with patience.

"I'll wait for him here."

"Nah! The bandits come out at night," He stood there, his beard being blown about in the wind, watching the images of fear and worry flash across the girl's eyes. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to the present. "Come on," he tried again, still exercising calm and patience.

Ranma pulled his bike to a halt, and sat on its seat sideways, appearing to be waiting on something.

As the Sun ripped its way through the clouded sky, the shadows began to flash back and forth. Howls started sounding through the air and the clatter of feet and metal blades rung high.

Ranma cracked his knuckles, "Well, I was beginning to think you wouldn't show," Ranma addressed with a smirk…

Ten shadows halted their frantic leaping and came to focus as men wearing wolf pelts. From directly behind them a seventeen-foot man, with a scar running down the center of his face and a white beard appeared. "I am sorry to have made you wait, dear-brother," the giant said, bowing in submission to Ranma.

Ranma returned the gesture. "Have you any word yet on the woman I seek?" As much as he could use the small talk, some things were more important, namely getting back what was rightfully his!

The giant nodded his massive head. "Aye… I wasn't able to go there myself, but Guba wrote down the information on a scroll for you. Is there anything else that me and my pack can do for you?" Usually the giant, known only as Oyaji, would spend a good deal of time chatting with Ranma, but things were different now. He knew that if Ranma got wind of the operations he had going then he would want a cut of the profit or make his pack stop.

Ranma shook his head in the negative and retrieved the scroll from Guba. He took a few moments to read what was written on it. "This looks like chicken scratch!" Ranma barked, displaying the scroll for all to see.

Oyaji turned to glare at his son, Guba. "I'm sorry father, but I don't know how to write…" the elder pup replied to the unasked question.

Ranma took a moment picking himself up from his facefault. "Leave it to me to associate with guys who can't think two-steps ahead…" he grumbled, growing irritated. "Just _tell_ me the information, and I'll write it myself!"

Guba nodded and began to relate the location.

Ranma stared on, facing the location Guba had specified. "This place looks like a dump!" Ranma shouted loudly. And indeed it did look like a dump.

What was once a library was now rotting and falling to pieces. Whatever the original color was had turned to an off blue, due to unprotected exposure to the sun. The buildings surrounding were skeletons, displaying their support beams for all the world to see.

"Oh well, time to cut loose," Ranma mused, spending a moment to crack his knuckles loudly, "and have some fun…"

Within the rundown library were over a dozen men practicing the art of trading kicks. The grunts of men sending all of their strength into a single strike, only to retract repeat the process over was heard through the empty halls and spacious rooms.

With a suddenness that caught all the men off guard, the double doors leading into the room was blown open, slamming loudly against the inner wall. Standing in the doorway, his back against the framework was Ranma, his arms crossed at chest-level.

When the initial shock wore off, the men took up defensive stances. "Who the hell are you, and what do you think you're doin' here?" shouted one of the fighters.

Ranma chose to ignore the man's question and presence, in favor of slowly walking up to the man on a dais.

"HEY! Don't you ignore us!" another shouted, followed by two men latching on to Ranma's arms.

Ranma cupped the chin of the young woman with long-flowing pink hair. If the woman felt it or anything she did not give any notion that she did; instead she sat stoically, staring straight ahead. "Oh Emerald, what has befallen you?" Ranma asked with sorrow.

The woman said nothing, though a single tear fell from her eye as she remembered the ordeals she had been forced to live through.

"CRY! WEEP, O YOU DOGS! SHED YOUR TEARS FOR THE DEFILEMENT OF MY LOVE!" Ranma howled into the sky.

Immediately following Ranma's words the howls of wolves in mourning arose and the red-hot sky darkened with storm clouds, shedding tears of its own…

The sound of laughter pervades into the silence of the still air, bringing with it the face of young man with wild blonde hair and a deranged grin.

The young man leaps high into the air, his legs pulled tight, in preparation for a death-delivering kick…

The flash of red hair precedes the face of a beautiful young woman who cries out in concern. "KEN!"

A finger pushes through the skin and the muscle of a well-built chest; bringing out a gurgled cry of pain and suffering. "Die!" The young blonde commands. "STOP IT!" comes the terrified scream of the earlier woman.

The blonde laughs and pierces the other pectoral, driving out a new pained-wail. "GAHHH!"

"KEEENNN!!"

Kenshiro was on his feet and spinning to strike down whatever made itself into the slightest of threats. Ken stood there in an offensive battle stance, his every fiber pulled taut and ready to launch him in the direction he so desired.

Movement…

Ken's instincts screamed for blood, as his veins sung the familiar tune of one who dances with death. Ken's eyes came to rest on the object that set him off; it was a log from his campfire. Immediately Ken forced his body to relax.

He brought a calloused hand to rest on his pectorals, tracing the line between the uppermost scars. "Just a dream…" Ken's visage went somber and he stared into the sky, picturing the image of his smiling fiancée…

"Yuria, where are you?" For a few moments he would swear he could hear the sound of her playing the harp. "Yuria…"

A sound from the distance alerted Ken to an approaching vehicle. Way off in the distance, beyond the normal span of human eyesight, Ken could make out a dust cloud quickly approaching, following in the wake of a heavily modified dunebuggy.

Within a few minutes the dunebuggy was near enough that Ken could make out every little detail; these like the three-foot back wheels, the single headlight on the passenger side, a bit of cloth that extended from the behind the seats and the boy driving it.

A few moments later Bart pulled the vehicle over, smiling proudly at Ken. Or he would have been, had he actually seen where Ken disappeared to. "Huh?" Bart grunted, staring this way and that. "That's funny, where did he go?" Bart scratched at his unruly hair, searching harder.

Something, though Bart didn't know what, made him look behind the buggy, only to jump when he saw Ken poised on the back end of the cart. "KEN!"

Ken's somber visage of earlier was now replaced with a stoic one.

"Ken? Wow, where did you go off to?"

"I thought you were one of Zeed's men." He replied, lying through his teeth. Truth was, he wanted to see how the boy would react. He leapt free of the vehicle, his back to the boy and his cart.

"Hey Ken, do you like the car? Want a lift?" Bart shouted, still viewing the man as his meal ticket. "You've got a long way to go! So, how about it?"

Ken turned a questioning gaze over his shoulder at the boy.

"Don't look so suspicious! I know you think I stole this car, " Bart remarked, ticking his finger. "It's okay! I built it myself from scrap! I'm tellin' ya, I'm a mechanical genius, even if I don't look like one… Think of me as Archimedes or Edison," he praised, tossing his head backing pride.

Until he fell off the car…

The sun continued its merciless beating on Ranma's back as he shielded Emerald while riding his bike at full tilt. He took a moment to look down at the woman's shell of a body. 'To be imprisoned within one's own body…' Ranma mused with sorrow.

All he needed was one more trade negotiation and he would be on his way to acquiring the prize he valued as highly as his daughter.

Truth be told he hated making these business deals over the lives of women, it sickened him to his stomach, which was why this was to be the last for a long while.

A short time later, the buggy and two occupants were driving through the empty sands of a deserted city.

"So, where're ya headed?" Bart asked, wondering just where Ken planned for them to go.

"Nowhere special," Ken replied, keeping his voice distant.

"Oh? Just a drifter wandering around with no place to go, huh?" Bart responded sounding quite impressed. "You know I originally built this car so I could travel with Ranma - he's this awesome fighter that challenges King's army on his own and has never lost once! – but it couldn't keep up with his bike, so he told me to stay in the village for safety. Anyway, my name's Bart; how do you do?"

Ken's eyes flashed and he was suddenly floating in the air…

Bart pulled to a screeching halt, and ran to the edge of the car. "What's wrong Ken?!" He watched as Ken took off at a sprint in the direction of a canyon. "I'm so hungry! Let's hurry up to the next town Ken!"

Ken reached the edge where he had heard the disturbance and peered over the side.

Down below a seasoned old man was backing away from a horde of raiders, each with the symbol of a red spade on their heads, but one, with red hair like a lion's mane, had a J written above his insignia. The sound of bloodthirsty laughter filled air, mixing with the taint of killing intent.

Bart made his up to the location Ken was standing at.

The man was finally backed against the stone wall of the canyon, shaking frailly "Come on Pops, hand it over." The man with the J commanded, speaking like a schoolyard bully.

"Let me go! I've got to get these seeds to my village!" the man pleaded, clutching the sack of seed tightly.

A boot descended on the man, "SHUT THE HELL UP!" He knelt low to the cowering man, "Be quiet and hand it over!"

"Please! When the seeds grow we'll give you as much crop as you could ever want!" the man pleaded, trying to reason with the brute. "Just wait 'til then, I'm begging you!"

The man leveled a bow at the elder and drew back the cord, preparing to kill the old man where he huddled.

"Please, I went through hell to get this many seeds! And I haven't eaten anything in a week…"

"I see, I see. These seeds are that important to you, huh?" the old man nodded. "Then I guess we'll **have** to eat them then!" The group of over-muscled men cackled haughtily.

"Please I'm begging you, just let me go!"

Bart stood from his perch, arms behind his head, "C'mon Ken, this ain't our fight." For a moment he took on a contemplative look. "Y'know, I could've sworn Ranma got rid of Spade and his gang a while back…" he mused aloud, but shrugged it off as moot.

When Ken began to coil his muscle, Bart was taken aback. He didn't think there were other people as crazy as Ranma and willing to fight single-handedly against King's men.

"Hey Ken, what are you doing?!"

But it was too late and Ken was descending the ravine. Bart bit back a curse as idea struck him.

Ken front rolled through the air, landing upside down with his fingers inside a man's shoulders before flipping to land. Then he landed a kick on a man's face. The two never knew what killed them before their heads exploded.

The leader of the thugs leveled his wrist-mounted bow at the man. "Who the hell are you?!" he thundered.

"Leave the man alone."

"Asshole! Can't you see that I'm the one holding a bow to your head?!"

"Don't try it!" Ken began flexing his fingers, causing the knuckles to pop loudly. "That arrow is just a twig compared to the inheritor of the deadly techniques of Hokuto Shin Ken. You can not defeat me."

"Hokuto Stinkin', my ASS!" The man fired his arrow anyway, "GO TO HELL!" barely missing Ken when he dodged the weapon. "Che!" He grabbed another steel arrow and pulled back on the bow.

Ken began t limber his joints by bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Aim well. If you miss it'll cost you an eye."

"I'll kill you!" He let loose the arrow at full bore.

FWATHAP!

Ken stared around the arrow in his hand, his face as impassive as ever. "Hokuto Shin Ken: Nishi Shinkuu Ha! (North Star: Two-Finger Nil Space Grasp!)" Ken informed his attacker, one moment before reversing the arrows flight path sending it to the fins into Spade's eye.

"RRRRGAHH!" Spade shouted as he fell to the ground and writhed in agony, clutching tightly to his eye.

Ken walked by the man, as if unhearing of the bloodcurdling screams and knelt at the old man's side. "Hey, are you alright?"

The old man looked up into the eyes of his savior a look of joy and sorrow warring for dominance. "The seeds… They took the rice seeds!"

"Rice seeds?" Ken looked over his shoulder at the rapidly departing group of thugs.

Bart came sliding down a slope, kicking up dust the entire way. "Ken, don't get messed up in this stuff anymore than you already have! Those were King's men!"

"King?" Ken gave the boy a questioning look.

"Yeah! They're one of the groups of lunatics that control this area! Now, we're in trouble…"

"Did you say you were an excellent thief?"

Bart posed with pride and gusto. "Yeah, I'm pretty much the next Arsene Lupin! I always get what I'm going after."

(AN: **Arsene Lupin** is the name of a fictional gentleman thief who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television, stage play and comic book adaptations – which includes the infamous series Lupin III.)

"Then steal those rice seeds back." Ken commanded.

"EEEHHH?" Bart couldn't help but gasp at the incredibly stupid idea Ken just suggested. "We're talkin' about King's men, here!" Bart gesticulated.

Ken sighed in disappointment. "Nothing but talk. Old man wait here, I'll be back with your seeds."

"F-Forgive me…" The old man begged. It was never his plan to endanger a young boy or a healthy man's life! Why did things have to be this way?

"Wait Ken, I'll go with you!" Bart shouted at the retreating form of Ken.

"Go away."

Bart, seeing his whole reason for being leaving, ran up the steep incline and gunned his buggy, then tore through the ravine. "I'll be back with those seeds Ken! Just wait for me!"

Spade sat up, clutching at his missing eye and gritting his teeth.

"You need to rest!" ordered the medic.

"SHUT UP!" Spade smashed the smaller man into the wall sending him to dreamland. "I won't forgive him…" Spade forced his body from his bed. "To hell with his Hokuto STUFF!" the last word yelled, as Spade punched a cement wall to rubble.

Nearing their camp a vehicle came roaring. Every one of the men went white-faced as they recognized the buggy Ranma was so frequently taxied in. "OH SHIT! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!" one of the many thugs shouted. Before any could get to their bikes and haul off, Spade noticed Ranma's absence and gave a sinister grin. "It ain't Ranma, just his brat!"

The men all relaxed considerably. The last time they had a confrontation with Ranma he killed everyone in the slowest manner he could, then brought them to life saying the next time they wee caught on his land, he would make that feel like heaven and a warm bath.

Bart pulled to a stop in front of a nervous Spade. "Heya Spade, do you remember me?" Bart questioned, liking the reaction he was getting.

Spade nodded numbly. "Where's Ranma kid?"

Bart shrugged his shoulders with a goofy grin plastered to his face. "Funny thing that… You see, Ranma wanted me to step up my duties, so he sent me here to do just that."

"W-What the hell do we have that he would want? We ain't done nothin' in three months!" Spade shouted defensively.

"Maybe you have, maybe you haven't. Who knows? Anyway, Ranma aid he wants everything ya got; clothes, food, water, everything! "Well, did say you guys could keep your bikes, but you've got to leave everything else behind."

Spade grit his teeth. 'Knowing Ranma, that Hokuto guy was probably an old friend!' Spade mused. It made a lot of sense, especially when considering the many powerhouses that Ranma associated with.

"Ya heard em boys! Strip and let's get outta here, before Ranma changes his mind!"

As quick as a whip, the mass of burly men stripped to nothing – at Bart's insistence – and hauled off into the desert to find new stomping grounds, preferably with Club and Diamond's gangs.

Ken watched the dust cloud dissipated into the distance as the thugs ventured elsewhere. "Hmm, it would appear that Bart missed them." Ken mused, and readied to take up the mission for himself.

That was when a dust cloud kicked up, nearing his hiding place. Inside Bart was munching on some jerky and had several bags of clothes, armor and food in the backseat.

Ken landed in the passenger seat, arm folded and eyes closed.

"YAH! Ken, don't do that!" Bart shouted, pulling the cart to the side of the road. "Sheesh, nearly gave me a heart attack!" Bart whined, and tossed Ken the sack of rice.

Ken opened the bag and looked within, impressed that Bart was able to procure these rice seeds. "Lupin, huh?"

Bart grinned proudly. "Want some jerky? I also got water!" he held out the items for Ken's inspection.

However, he didn't expect Ken to take and carry them to the old man. "Hey, what are ya doin'? That's our food, the old guy can get his own!"

Ken sent a reproachful glare at Bart, causing the boy to shut his mouth and remain silent.

"I appreciate this, I really do!" the old man clutched his bag of seeds tightly, holding on to his lifeline.

"Are you going to be okay, old man?" Ken held the man upright in his bosom.

"Why didn't ya just eat the rice? If you die, what's the point?!" Bart shouted. Some things he just couldn't understand, thought Ken seemed to.

"No, all the food we have will eventually run out, but with these seeds, we can grow rice again, and harvest it year after year. Like in the old days, when rice grew in fields… There will be no more fighting over food. We can all live in peace again. Tomorrow is more important than today."

Ken stared solemnly into the eyes of the malnourished man "Tomorrow is more important…"

"One day it will be a world without war, one like the old days when flowers grew and people could run through fields of grass. The birds would sing in the skies, and the rivers were full of fish." Memories of the days when he and children tilled the country, and would dance with joy came unbidden to his mind. The sound of laughter was musical and not filled with the desire to taste blood.

"Half a year… It took me half a year to gather this many seeds." He placed the bag into Ken's hands and pleaded that he would take the seeds to his village. It didn't matter tat Ken didn't know which, he trusted that the man would find it and carry through with his wishes.

Ken clutched the bag tightly. "I'll bring these to your village, along with you old man."

"Thank you so very much!"

Back in the village where Lynn waits, a line of merchants wrapping the main thoroughfare waited patiently for a chance to buy some water.

"This cloth made of deer skin is very good isn't it?" questioned a young man, offering the well kept hide, perfectly useable for making new clothing or even as a blanket on cold nights.

The elder of the village nodded and the man smiled joyously as he was led to get his water.

A middle-aged man held up sparkling necklace of pearls, and displayed a showcase of other rare jewels. "Give me water for these?" he requested, feeling assured that they would. After all how many people had jewelry these days?

One of the retainers kicked the jewels across the way. "Jewels ain't worth nothin' these days, you shit!" As the man ran to retrieve the items he spent his life protecting he was told, "Food and water are all that matters anymore!"

"I-I have rice…" Came the voice of the next man.

Lynn was hidden behind the backside of a recycled military transporter, clutching her puppy to her bosom. "If I hide in this truck, then it'll take me far away. Maybe even to where Ken is," she whispered to the puppy.

Ruby and Princess-Hime stared in awe at the falling rain; it was a miracle! Rain hadn't fallen here since the great fallout, and here they were standing under a heavy torrent of **clean** water.

"Wow, I didn't know it could rain!" Ruby crowed. "Is your father the cause of this?"

"As far as I know, he's never been able to make it rain before," Princess-Hime responded.

Before the conversation could continue a beautiful woman, approximately in her mid-twenties, alighted in their midst. The woman had on a pair of the most realistic set of wings Ruby had ever seen. Obviously Ranma had some great engineers at his disposal.

The young woman gave Princess-Hime a fond smile, but the princess snorted and angled her head away, causing the woman's spirits to fall. "Is your father in?"

"No he's not, now be on your way Kiima of the Phoenix People," the girl returned coldly. To Ruby, who hadn't thought the girl capable of being haughty or cold, was flabbergasted.

Kiima nodded with a downcast look in her eyes, before turning a pointed glare at Ruby. "I shall return in another hour with His Majesty, should Ranma have arrived do inform him." That said, Kiima took to the air and fluttered into the distance.

Ruby watched in utter amazement at the complexity of the wings' engineering. "Wow… Who was that Princess?" Ruby asked with amazement.

The young girl looked over at her company and smiled serenely "She's just some horny old lady that wants my father to bed her," she responded with pep, though the light in her eyes spoke of her feelings on the subject.

Ruby raised an arm to support the girl when Princess-Hime spoke, "Let's get going or we'll be late!"

Ranma pulled the bike to a halt in the midst of a caravan of bikers, and strolled up to a rawhide tent. "Yo Jackal! You in there? It's me, Ranma," Ranma announced, unheeding of the newly recruited men.

The cloth of brown animal hide parted, revealing a muscular man who stood at two meters, much like Ranma and Ken. "Dammit Ranma, how times do I gotta tell ya? All you gotta do its come in," Jackal returned, speaking around the burning cigar in his mouth.

Ranma smirked, "I remember the last time I did that, let's just say I can't look at mice the same way any longer." The two shared a companionable laugh. Ranma turned to Mamiya (Emerald) and led her into the tent with him.

Inside, the tent was well lit, unlike most would assume, and very cool. "So, what brings you by this time old friend?" Jackal took a seat at the far side of the room and offered Ranma the only other available seat.

Ranma let the young woman with pink hair and drop-dead looks sit instead. "You know Jackal, that's what I like about ya; always right to the point!" Ranma praised, pacing around the room in search of rodents. "I need schematics of King's palace in a week's time, can you do it?"

Jackal sat forward, a look of shock on his face, even going so far as to drop the cigar from his mouth. "King's… palace? The one he _just_ built for Yuria?" When Ranam nodded, Jackal wiped his brow of sweat. "That's gonna be costly. Even for you, Ranma,"

Ranma retrieved a scroll from his sleeve.

"How the hell do you do that?" Jackal questioned, always wanting to know the answer. Sure he hid dynamite sticks on his person, but he couldn't hide anything oblong, like scrolls, guns or canisters of water like Ranma.

Ranma smirked and handed the scroll to Jackal. "Trade secret," he offered.

Jackal nodded absently and handled the scroll, testing its weight by casting it back and forth. "So, what is this for?"

Ranma's smirk only grew. "Have you ever of the name Devil Reborn?"

Jackal almost fainted on the spot. "You mean, you know where he is?!"

"Know where he is? I put 'em there!" Ranma returned cockily. "That's a map to his whereabouts. He's in a cell and preprogrammed, all you gotta do is let him look into your eyes, and he'll serve you for life." Ranam explained.

Jackal cackled into the hollow of the tent. "This is great! You've got a deal! I'll have those blueprints to you in two days," he promised, and all knew that Jackal was a man of his word, if nothing more.

In a remote village, covered in the soot of fallout and bathed with the taint of decay, a group of poor and frail people meandered through the streets made of red sand.

The sound of an engine alerted everyone to be on alert for raiders. A sentry peered through binoculars and spotted sight he didn't plan to see again! "Smith is in it! It's old man Smith! Old man Smith is back, and he brought the seeds!"

Cheers rose high and the people gathered at the entry gate.

"Seeds!" Smith shouted, raining the packet with reverence. "I brought back the seeds!"

"YAY!" "Now the village will be saved!" "Now we can grow a harvest and have food forever!"

"Have a rest, old man," a young woman called, leading the village hero to her residence for sleep.

"Thanks for everything, Smith!"

Ken watched with a warm heart as the people thought their lives were saved by a bag of rice seed. "He also brought you-" Ken reached into the backseat and began pulling out clothing, weapons, food and gallons of water, "all of these."

Bart had to do a double-take and still spat out his water in shock! "Hey Ken! What the hell are ya doin'?! That was all our stuff, now what are we gonna eat?"

Ken climbed into the passenger seat and folded his arms over his chest. "Do you hear that Bart? It's the sound of a baby crying."

"Yeah, so what? Babies cry all the time."

"He's hungry because mother can't produce milk without eating herself. Everyone here is starving.

"Okay! I got it…" Bart grumbled, starting his engine. "But we're definitely getting some food in the next town!"

End of CHAPTER TWO

LWH ()

Started 12/20/2007 Completed 12/24/2007 


	3. Chapter 3

_The Angels Of Death Descend_

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

"Almost all life has ceased to exist…"

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

"However, Mankind has not…"

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Ranma lunged in front the streamers of bullets being fired by JSDF and using his Amaguriken in a way that it was never meant to be, he caught every last one of them and dumped them on the asphalt.

"Just what the hell is wrong with you guys?!" Ranma thundered, his battle aura springing to life with a palpable red flame. "Mizuno-Sensei is Japanese AND a doctor! What did she do that would make you want to kill her?"

The company's CO stepped forward, gun still drawn at the ready. "Step aside kid, or we'll shoot you too! We've got orders to kill her as a traitor for treating injured Chinese spies." While he didn't owe the kid any explanation, he didn't want another innocent's death on his conscience.

Ranma's lip rose into a snarl. "Chinese spies?! The only Chinese she's treated weren't even Chinese, they were Musk, and helping in the war against China and Russia, you assholes!" There was no way he would allow anyone to refer to his close friends as "Chinese", for the duration of the war.

A hand placed on his shoulder brought Ranma's fury to a screeching halt as his pregnant lover gently chastised him. "Ranma, you're not really helping any. I need you as my weapon. This isn't the same as combating your friends over everything; they won't stop until you kill them all or they kill me."

Ranma gritted his teeth. "I ain't gonna kill no one I don't hafta," Ranma turned his gaze back to the assembled soldiers. As he began to charge a ball of ki comparable to Ryoga's Perfect Shi Shi Hokodan, the sky opened with rain, soaking Ranma, changing him into a woman and hiding the tears that trailed her delicate face. "Moko Takabisha…"

In the still of the night, the harmonious sound of a harp was heard, this music as beautiful as ever.

As Shin walked down the corridor, toward the sound of Yuria playing, he listened to the way the torches crackled in time to every stroke. He traveled all the way to his throne in complete silence, not even the floor knowing he was there

"Anyone can appreciate good music," Shin called out in greeting. He had hoped to surprise her; at least then she would be displaying some manner of emotion. 'No such luck…' "However, only a few can appreciate the pleasure that evil can give you. Only I, the man who possesses both the will to destroy God, as well as the most beautiful woman who lives, shall be the true ruler of the Paradise to come."

Shin lifted four cards, all Jack's of a trade. "Spade was repelled, BUT he can be replayed…" Shin took the Jack of Spades and moved it between the Club and Diamond. "Joker!" he shouted into the empty corridor.

An effeminate man teleported into existence, kneeling to his master. "Yo called?" he asked in singsong.

The sun shone especially bright on this day as Bart trekked over barren land, feeling as though he would die of heatstroke, thirst and hunger. "I'm so hungry…" Bart fell face-first into the ground and laid there, motionless.

After a moment Bart popped back upright. "Jeez! What's the point of Ken being such a great martial artist if he can't use it to get us some food?!"

From his place behind a mound of soil, Ranma perked up, inadvertently waking the pink-haired beauty resting on his chest. "Damn, I could swear I just heard Bart! But, he's got no reason to be all the way out here…" With that, Ranma laid back down and stroked the long tresses of Ailee.

It'd be nice if the boy **were** here, then I wouldn't have to worry about turning my back on whoever was watching my Emerald. Maybe I should've stopped over at Sapphire's town…" he mused.

"What a waste!" Bart shouted, tapering off his diatribe.

He folded back over and cradled his stomach. "And I had a month's worth of rations, too! Maybe I shoulda just stayed back in the village jail, at then I would have Lynn to give me food!"

As he continued his trek, having no real destination and not worried about being lost, Bart spotted "A refrigerator!" and he charged full bore to the metal contraption.

Since he didn't have the capacity to think straight, Bart tried opening it, which didn't work, so he searched around, until he found a heavy rock to pound with – which didn't help any at all - then a bar to pry off the lid and went at it again!

This time he was successful, but his spirits fell when there was nothing within. He slowly climbed to his feet and kicked the offending object with spite.

"Huh?" The sound of screeching drew his attention. Off a short distance as a large scavenger bird, similar to a buzzard or vulture, picking at a snake as it slithered within a skull's eye sockets, tying its body to an anchor.

The bird screeched and the snake hissed. Back and forth the animals would strike at the other. Snake nearly biting the bird each time, while bird nearly claimed the snake's head just the same.

Bart maneuvered himself to stand above and behind the bird, waiting for the opportune time to strike and claim a meal.

With a distracting set of pecks and a deft claw swipe the struggle was over and the bird moved to carry away the prize.

"AH!" Bart lunged forward from his position, latched onto the bird's tail feathers and held on tight. "Gotcha! Roast grunt bird tonight!"

His awesome hunting strategy turned sour when the bird's tail feathers came out and the vulture finally came to a landing. The vulture stared at its tail to find only one feather remaining. "SCREE!"

"AHHH!" Bart ran frantically while being pecked at by an irate predator. "Sorry! I'm sorry! I thought you were a turkey!"

Ranma fell from his perch with roaring laughter as he watched his young ward get beaten up by a bird. 'Some things were just too funny!' he mused, unable to stop from laughing.

"Oh Bart! That was great, kiddo!" Ranma shouted as the vulture flew off into the sky.

Bart's young eyes lit up in joy. "R-Ranma? Ranma!" he shouted and ran into the embrace of the guy considered a father or role-model.

Ranma smirked down at the boy, trying not to show how much he cared. "Enough with the hugging kiddo. So, what the hell're ya doin' way out here?"

Bart laughed bashfully. "Well you see, I met this one guy…"

Ranma patted the boy's shoulder understandably. "Say no more Bart. While I don't swing that way, I support your choice in love interests." Ranma cocked his head back and howled with laughter at the flustered young boy trying to deny what Ranma accused him of.

The sound of a jeep alerted the two of danger; though both handled it in a different way. For Bart he hid behind a large mound and watched for the vehicle to pass by, but Ranma…

Ranma threw a stone into the front tire of the slave truck, knocking it into the side of the narrow strip.

A burly man with the black symbol of a diamond (playing card style), was transfixed figuring just how they had a blowout when the tires were essentially new. "Damn, if I didn't know better, I'd think someone shot the blasted thing…" he mused to his partner.

Said partner was a tall, lithe man with a red club on his forehead. At the moment, he was leaning back within the cabin, his feet propped up on the dashboard and resting his eyes. "What gives you that idea, Block?"

Block shrugged his shoulders while cupping his chin. "Just a feelin' I guess."

"You've got some good feelings, Blockhead!" came a gruff voice from behind. The odd thing was that he was speaking in the male dialect of Japanese, something only hicks and Diamond would use – in his opinion.

"Who the hell're you?!" the man within shouted, exiting the truck with a pair of maces in hand.

"I'd tell ya, but you'd piss yer pants, pansies."

"FUCK YOU!"

"NOW YER GONNA DIE, BASTARD!"

The man flicked his wrists, allowing his fingers to fling out. "LET'S DO THIS!" he shouted, charging forward with their death in his eyes.

Ranma dodged around a swift swing, caught the spiked end of the bat-like mace and crushed it to splinters. He cupped several of the splinters and slammed a palm-full into the face of Block, ruining his eyes and shredding his face.

As Block writhed on the ground, his partner, as yet unnamed, gripped his goo mace tighter. "You're gonna get it for that!" he roared as he charged Ranma, mace held like a baseball bat. "I used to the hold the record for homeruns in th minor league before the fallout! Taste my power swing!" he shouted, swinging the bat at full force.

Ranma grinned cattily and took the full force of the swing, which obliterated the mace and caused a resounding echo to follow in the wake of the impact. When all was said and done, Ranma was still standing with a grin on his face. "Ready to die fucker?" Ranma questioned, though he didn't wait for an answer.

Ranma's arms flashed out at ten thousand strikes a second, smashing every bone, joint and pinching every major nerve on the outermost layers of skin.

The results were pain, pain and lots of screaming. "The fuck are you screaming about?! I didn't even kill you yet!" Ranma shouted over the pained wails of his fallen adversaries. "I knew you were nothin' but pansies!"

(AN: Before I start getting flames, a pansy in my story is a macho-man that can't take what he dishes out. You will hear the term a lot!)

Ranma snapped open the cage to the prisoners, ignoring their frightful visages in favor getting them out. "You people can do whatever you want, but I'm going to go clean out Dorado City. If you're interested, you can live there when I'm done," Ranma cracked his knuckles at the thought of just what he would do when he came across the Four Jacks again.

"Lynn? Lynn! What are you doing way out here?!" Bart called as he came running up to the disembarking crowd of villagers.

Lynn looked up and spotted Bart, which meant, "Bart! Is Ken here, too?" Lynn looked around at the piles of rubble, not spotting the man she was looking for.

"Why are you lookin' for ken? I'm the one that saved you" Bart shouted, sometimes life wasn't fair….

Ken sat in meditation, his legs crossed in front of him and hands cupped in his lap – a basic lotus position – seeking his center. Recently he had been too jumpy and far too moody for his practice.

Finding his center was usually something he excelled at, except that now the object he focused on to center himself was in the clutches of a tyrannical madman that used to be his friend…

Since he couldn't center himself with thoughts of Yuria, Ken opened his eyes, took in the view around him and spotted a butterfly.

Ken smiled as he thought the small creature was now his focal point, the object that would lead hi to inner peace.

"You're kidding me?!" Bart exclaimed, listening to Lynn's story.

Once again Ken was forced to break his concentration, though this time he further along than before.

A voice, one he recognized as easily as Yuria's, spoke out, destroying the silence his seclusion had given him and causing his fire to burn brightly. "KEN!"

"Don't mind me, here…" Bart remarked as Lynn bolted to hug Ken in a fierce embrace. A hand landed on his shoulder and without looking, the boy knew who it was. "Thanks Ranma, but I'm okay, really!"

Ranma exhaled a longsuffering gasp of relief. "Boy, am I glad about **that**! The last thing I need is for you go getting all sentimental on me!" Ranma teased, pushing Bart with his knuckles.

Bart rubbed at his head. "By the way, Ranma, what are you doing way out here in the Jack's territory?"

"Oh you know me! I'm just out conquering more territory from Shin. Speaking of conquests, I have to head out, but I have a job for you."

Bart looked to Ranma with excitement. "What would you like me to do?"

"Ranma ruffled the boy's hair. "I finally found my kidnapped fiancée, and I need you to take her back to Princess's city. Can you do that?"

Bart snapped his fingers. "You bet! Just give me a moment to tell Ken! Huh?" Bart paused to look around in confusion. "Hey Ranma, I don't know how to tell you this but I don't see her…"

Ranma's eyes widened in horror! "SHIT! I'll be right back!" Ranma called over his shoulder as he ran into the distance.

"Jeez, the guy can single-handedly take down an army, but he forgets to do the little things…" Bart groaned in disappointment.

Ken, who was suddenly standing behind Bart, placed a hand on his shoulder. "You and Lynn go take his fiancée back, and we'll be waiting here for your return."

Bart crossed his arms behind his head in mild annoyance and false bravado. "Oh man! And I was gonna ask Ranma if I could borrow his bike…"

"Yeah, like I'd really let you wreck my new bike!" Ranma returned, appearing at the clearing next to Lynn, stroking the girl's hair. Beside him was a beautiful young woman who refused to open her eyes. "I've seen the way you drive that buggy of yours when I'm not in it."

Bart grinned impishly. "Okay, ya got me!" He took a moment to assess the goods he was gonna be transporting. "Wowza! So this is the woman you were always talking about? I thought you said she had silver hair?"

Ranma covered the woman's ears and turned a pointed glare at Bart. "Little snot, I outta…" Ranma grumbled, his voice falling too low to be heard. "The one with silver hair is the woman I pledge my life to protect. Lady Yuria is not just some sex toy, even Shin knows that!"

Unseen by all but Lynn, Ken's eyes widened at the names, but his face returned to being stoic. "This Shin, does he practice a style called Nanto Sei Ken?"

Ranma's eyes burned coldly as he stared into Ken's. "…"

"…"

Bart looked between the two nervously. Suddenly the temperature dropped, bringing out a shiver and a sneeze from the audience of three. "You guys are creeping me out here!" Bart shouted, trying to break the tension.

After a short eternity, Ranma and Ken broke their gazes and turned to Dorado City where they planned to test the other's abilities.

Bart shivered and passed a concerned look to Lynn. The young girl looked at the retreating men like she were seeing Ken for her last time.

"Ken…" Lynn whispered into the wind.

Ranma looked to his side as he ran all-out against Ken, who seemed about as taxed as he was – which meant not tired at all – and decided that the man would make a worthy rival.

Sooner than was planned they were at the entry gate. Thirteen sentries made to sound an alarm but were dead before any could move more than two steps.

Musabetsu No Ken: Shinigame No Kyaku! (Infinity Fist: Kick Of The Grim Reaper!)

The bodies of the sentries fell to the ground, never to live again.

I'm gonna go search for Club, he's got something I need." Ranma called to his rival, then the two split, going in separate paths.

Ken came upon a clearing where two men sat on thrones, with a horde of burly men. One of the two, Ken recognized as Spade from a couple days before. Even now the man was wearing an eyepatch and clutching at his disfigured face in fury.

The crowd of slave-workers was forced to watch as a man trained an arrow at his own son, instructed to shoot a can off the boy's head.

"I wish I could get my hands on that bastard!" Spade shouted, not able to get into the mood.

The man's arms shook with frailty, worsening his bad aim and almost ensuring he hit his own son. Behind him the Diamond and Spade gangs cackled with joy.

Diamond rested his elbow on the armrest and stared at his longtime companion. "Didn't ya say he werks fer Ace?" Diamond queried, speaking in the masculine dialect, coupled with his deep, grungy voice.

The man fell to his knees, tears pouring down his eye. "I… I can't do it!"

Spade gripped the eyepatch tighter. "I don't give a damn who the fucker works for, I want his eye!" Spade emphasized his point by stabbing one his men with a dagger in face.

A big man with a purple Mohawk lifted the frail man and forced him to grip the bow and aim. "C'mon little shit, all you gotta do is imagine the arrow hittin' the boy- I mean the can!"

"Calm down, Spade! We'll get our chance to carve his face.

Within the crowd, one of the newer slaves shouted, "Are we nothing but toys to these monsters?! Something for them to get their kicks from?"

The arrow was let loose, it sailed on a perfect trajectory for the boy's forehead, right between the eyes. The boy and his father shouted in terror…

Kenshin landed calmly and caught the arrow between his middle and index fingers. He turned and freed the boy, allowing father and son to re-unite.

One of the Diamonds moved forward, blocking the way between the two captains and the intruder. "Who the hell do you think you- AK!" his speech was cut short when Spade sliced his head from his shoulder.

"Get the fuck outta my way!" Spade shouted as he tossed aside the dead body. "You're the bastard that took my eye! Now I'm gonna take yours!" Spade shouted and charged forward, fully planning to follow through on his threat.

Ken dropped into an aggressive stance and flexed his hands. "If you miss me I'll take your other eye."

Diamond, tired of being in the background stood up to his full, eight-foot, height and brought out his pole. "Ya attack one Jack, yer fightin' us all!" So saying, he brought the pole high in the air began to spin it at extremely high speeds, causing it to look like the propeller on a helicopter, ending it by leveling one end at Ken. "You there, what's yer name?!"

"I have no name to give to a beast like you."

"You've got balls! You'll get to bleed for my pleasure."

"Go sleep in a barn with the other animals."

"Don't be so fuckin' cocky, boy!"

Ken lashed out with fists ablaze at the oncoming horde of Spades and Diamonds, faster than they could follow, Ken was behind the oncoming group and staring into the faces of the two leaders.

Hokuto Kyappu Zan(Hundred Way Slash of The North Star!)

The men turned to renew their assault, but were halted when their heads all exploded, the spout of blood bathing the area in crimson.

Spade fired an arrow, which tore away the exposed section of Ken's red shirt, revealing seven scars. "Seven scars?!" Spade shouted.

"You must be the guy that killed Zeed and his men while Ace was away!" Diamond shouted. This was going to be a good day. Diamond raised his pole overhead and began twirling it again.

"You two are going to share the same fate as Zeed." Ken intoned. "Hwaaaaa….." Ken began charging his internal energies, causing the air around him to ripple with his power. Tendrils of blue-white energy raised from his frame like bolts of electricity climbing a Jacob's ladder. 'HRAAAH!" The vest was shredded away by the sheer amount of energy traveling the length of his body.

By surprise attack, Ken had his arms wrapped in chains and seven bikers on each side, pulling for all their bikes were worth. "Now we've gotchu, man with seven scars!" Diamond's gruff voice intoned, bringing his pole crashing down on Ken's head.

Spade, wielding a baseball bat began to wail on Ken's back. "Take THIS! **And **That!"

"Wahaha!" Diamond chuckled.

"A normal human only uses thirty percent of his full strength. The secret behind Hokuto Shin Ken is that it let's the user harness the other seventy percent." Ken opened his eyes and gave the man Death's glare. "HWOOOO WAAA CHA!" Ken snapped the chains binding him and threw the links at the men who once had him at their mercy, snapping their necks. "WATATATATA WATA!" The area was bathed in red as flashes of white light struck out at four men that tried to rush Ken from behind.

Hokuto Shi Hou Zan! (Four-Way Slash of The North Star!)

He walked forward and allowed the spinning pole to cut him a few times, so he could gauge the speed, caught the spinning pole in one hand and tossed Diamond into the air.

"What the!" Diamond screamed as he flew up.

"NYAAAAAHHH!!" Ken drove his fingers into the base of Diamond's neck and smashed his nose with a knee, leapt backward and walked after Spade.

Koushu Hagan Ken! (Neck-Twisting, Face-Breaking Punch!)

The four who were attempting to attack earlier began checking themselves for any injuries. "You bastard! Don't try and make fun of- UGGGH!" was as far as the man got before his face contorted and neck bulged. Then like dominoes all four lost their heads, one at a time.

Diamond got to his feet and charged at Ken, while Ken began battering Spade with multitudes of punches. "**YATATATATATA! WAAA TATATATATATATA! AAATATATATATATATA!**"

Hokuto Hyakuretsu Ken! (Hundred Crack Fist of The North Star!)

"Your hits hardly did anything to me! Diamond thundered as he barreled down on Ken, fists held high and ready to bash him to bits.

"You're already dead," Ken remarked, his face half covered by shadow as he walked from the soon-to-be pile of dead carcasses.

"Don't fuckin joke! This fight's just begu- Uh? Ohhh…" Diamond groaned as his head turned to look over his shoulder, but kept turning, to the point his neck snapped and bones of his face shredded, then exploded.

Spade got up quickly and charged at a child that couldn't get away quick enough. "You'd better give up or I'll…. Oh, I don't feel so go- OOOD!" Everything exploded, starting with the top of his head, the face, neck, chest abdomen and finally his legs.

The Clubs and the remnants of the Spade and Diamond gangs ripped through the village seeking the man with seven scars and attacking anyone that was in the streets.

Club is a tall lanky man with three-foot steel claws attached to his hands. At the moment, Club as standing in the passenger side of a military jeep, his arms folded and a scowl on his face. "Bring me the head of the man with seven scars!" Club shouted.

A flash of movement caused Club to look at the place his driver once was, only to see Ranma in control of the wheel. Ranma gave a short wave and slicked back his hair. "Yo Club!"

Club quickly seated himself; he knew exactly how crazy that Ace could drive. "What the hell are you doin in my city, Ace?!" Club barked, showing nothing but animosity for the man who betrayed King.

Ranma clutched his heart, "I'm wounded by your anger, Club!"

Club quickly grabbed the wheel and turned the jeep away from the wall they were about to hit. Neglecting the steering wheel while traveling eighty miles an hour was not something very high on Club's to-do list, or on it at all. "You crazy Fuck! You almost killed me!"

Ranma shrugged. "Eh, almost doesn't count, does it?" Ranma inquired, pushing away Club's hands from the wheel. "Hey, I'm the one driving here! Jeez, it's starting to get to the point where a driver can't take his hands off the wheel…! Any way, I'm on my way to kill Shin. I came to see if you would side with me or him."

Club shrugged, he really didn't give a dam, so long as he got to keep his little operation going. "I'll ally with the winner."

Ranma nodded in understanding. "I see; well, since you can't be trusted, I'm gonna kill you now."

Club shrank back, ready to defend himself. "You were planning to kill me any way weren't you?" he challenged.

Ranma smirked with a hint of bloodlust in his eyes. "Yeah, yes I was. If you were loyal to Shin I'd kill you just as much am going to kill you for not being loyal to the one you follow." Ranma informed increasing the speed of the jeep to 120 MPH. I wonder if you can survive a head-on impact with a wall at a hundred-twenty?" Ranma pondered aloud, causing Club to sweat nervously.

Club looked over the sides of the jeep, seeking some kind of purchase, only to spot the edges of a narrow road that ran along the side of a mountain Ranma carved years ago for his two wives, Kikuko Mizuno – who died shortly after giving birth - and Rouge – who was killed by Ranma's own hands.

"Che!" he noised. "Guess I got no choice but to fight you now! TORYAAH!"

Ranam and Club leapt from the moving vehicle and scaled the face of the mountain, trading blows back and forth. "I can't die, Club, you should be forewarned!" Ranma informed as the two reached the summit.

Club licked at the blood that pooled on the innermost claw. "So you say, but you sure do bleed well, Ranma." Club dropped into an aggressive stance, mirrored by Ranma exactly. "Wh- What are you trying to do?"

In all the time he had known Ranma, he had never seen him imitate **his** combat stance. Sure, he did for powerful opponents, but Club was so far beneath Ranma's level his knees would shake at the merest mentioning of Ranma's name.

Ranma smirked. "I'm learning your style of Nanto Sei Ken, Club." While Ranma knew that Club had figured it out already, he felt like teasing the man.

"Dammit Ranma, quit fucking around and fight me seriously!" Club shouted. After all, when he died, he wanted to know that Ranma was at least taking him serious!

Ranma shrugged and dropped to all fours. "Mrow?" Ranma mewled.

Before Club could make any remarks about being taken for a fool, Ranma was upon him, biting into his windpipe, the ki-claws on his hands were holding the flailing upper body from breaking loose, while the lower claws were shredding away Clubs chest armor and digging into his belly.

When all traces of life were gone, Ranma's slitted cat-eyes were returned to normal and he stood upright, casually licking away the blood from his face.

Neko Ken! (Cat Fist!)

Ranma and Ken met up in the major traffic area at the town center. Here, the many ex-slaves were looting the city for anything worth taking and fighting over scraps of food.

"So, how did you do?" Ranma challenged.

Ken smiled with confidence. "I got both Spade and Diamond. How about you?"

Ranma gritted his teeth, leave it to luck to side with his opposition. "I only found Club, but you look a bit more worked over than me." Ranma noted as he pointed to the thin line of dried blood on Ken's cheek.

Ranma had taken the time to fully recover and change clothes before returning; so he showed no evidence of injury.

"I get credit for fighting two armies to your one man." Ken returned, pointing to the incoming army of Club members in jeeps and on bikes. "Shall I?"

Ranma's eyes flashed dangerously. "Sudden death round; whoever gets the most kills in one move, wins the game."

Ken nodded and fell into an aggressive stance preparing to win with a devastating hundred-way slash.

"SONIKKU STOMP! (Sonic Stomp!)" Ranma slammed a fist into the ground which had the effect of sending out a sonic wave that jarred the jeep engines enough to cause sparkplugs to misfire, blowing all the jeeps and their passengers to hell.

As the flame lit the darkening sky, basking Ranma and Ken in red, those on bikes tried, just too late to retreat from the two demons.

The many oppressed took advantage of the shocked men's confused retreat and began to beat them to death, taking their bikes and food.

End of CHAPTER THREE

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

LWH ()

Started 12/24/2007 Completed 12/25/2007 


	4. Chapter 4

_The Most Evil Of Monsters, Disguised As Men_

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Ranma really wished he had of thought things out before going on the offensive like he had. Now he was against the ropes and struggling to remain on his feet (figuratively, not literally). Ranma leapt high and rebounded from the ceiling crying out, "METEOR KICK!"

Shin continued his brutal assault style, his skills outmatching Ranma's at nearly every turn. The man in white paused in his fight for a moment, a bloodthirsty grin on his impeccable face. "Ranma Saotome, I will enjoy sending you on your way to Hell!" With that Shin leapt high into the air to meet a descending Ranma. "I control the airs!"

Nanto He-in Zan! (South Star Flying Sparrow Slash!)

Shin ascended into the sky with kick, causing a vacuum to ripple behind his movement. Ranma drove both his feet into Shin's one and the two ricocheted away from the other, landing in defensive stances.

Shin rushed Ranma with the intent to kill high enough to knock some of his own raiders to their considerably powerful knees. "Lucky gods' Iron Defense Wall!" Ranma shouted, and his hands immediately went into a blur…

Shin cackled insanely, and threw Yuria a confidant smirk. "Your skills are impressive for using a style so young… However, my Nanto Sei Ken has had two-thousand years to come across every art there is and out-power it," Shin informed. Suddenly his arms began to blur with fingertip strikes, and Ranma's considerable speed was useless.

Nanto Senshu Ryu Geki! (South Star Thousand Dragon Head Attack!)

Ranma bit back a yell of frustration – or maybe it was pain, it was hard to tell - for every strike he would block with his chopsticks, three would slip through and slice at his skin. He knew for a fact that this could have ended a long time ago had Shin wanted it too, and now he feared just what it was Shin had planned!

Shin cackled with joy, a feeling he hadn't felt since the day he beat Kenshiro. "This is great! Show me more of your techniques, so I came decimate you at your very best!" Shin cheered, sending Ranma cartwheeling through the air with a kick.

As Ranma bounced head-over-heels, until a wall of stone arrested his momentum, his mind was busy devising some plan to escape his predicament, like he had when fighting Saffron and Kumon Ryu.

Suddenly it came to him! "You want…" Ranma slowly clambered to his feet and spat out a tooth with a glob of blood, "me to go all out?" Seeing Shin nod, Ranma smirked and disappeared.

Shin's face showed shock for the first time since he was titled King.

"DIE!" Ranma shouted, returning to the visible realm, parting Shin's guard and sending a hand snaking towards King's heart!

(Moko Kaimon Ha Kaiteiban: Tessen Shi! Fierce Tiger Opening Gate Strike Revised: Iron-Fan Fingers!)

The moment Ranma's fingers began to penetrate flesh, Shin smirked and Ranma's world exploded in white-hot pain! "Wha- What the hell?" he barely managed to gasp out as the world around the two was engulfed in white light.

"I saw through your technique the moment you stood to your feet," Shin informed. "Nanto Hiryu Ken! (South Star Flying Dragon Punch!)" Once again Shin showed his ability to strike at speeds beyond even Ranma's Amaguriken technique.

As punches rained across Ranma's face, chest and sternum, he was careful to chart each strike and neutralize the Ki injected. It didn't stop him from being beaten black and blue, but it did spare his life…

"WUU! WUTAWUTAWUTAWUTAWUTA! TATATA!" Shin's cry carried loudly through the chamber, sending shivers down the spines of the audience. One man among the masses, usually seen as Shin's left hand man, realized just how far he had left to go before challenging Shin for dominion over the forces.

When Ranma was certain that Shin was finished with his blows, Shin seemed to catch a second wind and renewed the attacks with vigor… Then he caught his third wind; the fourth and fifth, until Ranma was no longer able to support himself on his legs.

Around the room gasps were heard and jaws were left agape. Shin snapped his fingers, bringing Joker from the shadows, which placed Shin's robe back over his shoulders. "Now do you se the difference between my Two-thousand-year-old Nanto Sei Ken and your two-hundred-year-old Musabetsu No Ken?"

All Ranma could do in response was to spit up a bit of blood and weakly raise his head in defiance. Shin laughed hard at the strength Ranma was displaying. "Raise him! I want to carve this bit of knowledge into his mind!"

Shin punched his finger slowly into the center of Ranma's left chest, shoving all the way the knuckle. He relished in the scream of overwhelming agony Ranma emitted. "That's right Ranma, SCREAM!" Shin encouraged, laughing all that much harder.

Finally, after an eternity, Shin retracted his finger, marveling at Ranma's tenacity, a puncture like that would kill anyone short of a North or South Star Master. "I like it! Let's do it again!" Shin crowed and forced his finger into the other chest of Ranma. Ranma screamed hard, his voice eventually giving out from over-exertion.

"Now let's try two at the same time!" Shin announced, shoving a finger into each of Ranma's upper external-obloquies; one finger was lower than the other, presenting an off-kilter symmetry that was unlike him. As Ranma's cries rang through the meeting chamber, Shin tossed his head back, laughing in orgasmic delight!

From her place within her private chambers, Yuria wept, holding tightly onto the young girl that had so recently become her personal maid. 'Why Shin?' she mentally questioned, 'Why can't you just stop this madness?!'

"Hmmm…" Shin noised, licking the sweet blood from his fingers. "I wonder if he will be the first to survive the marking of the grand scale?" Tossing up his shoulders, as it didn't matter either way, Shin proceeded to pierce into Ranma's navel, twisting his hand to increase the pain. Unlike the times previous, Shin quickly retracted his hand and pieced three fingers simultaneously into the crease between the abdominals – one row above the navel.

Rather than crying out this time, Ranma simply let his head drop. Shin gripped the sweaty hairs of Ranma's head, forcing the limp man to look into his eyes. "Was that so bad Ranma?" he taunted, ignoring the way Ranma's eyes were rolling into the back of his skull. "Let this mark be a reminder to you; "As it is on Earth, so it is in Heaven". The South Star can only be beaten by the North; and North Star only by the South. **That** is why I am **invincible**."

Shin turned to face the man he knew would betray him, the same who earlier thought to train harder. "**THAT**," Shin shouted loudly, placing his coat back over his shoulders, "is why I am **KING**!"

"Club's been killed too." "Capture the man with seven scars." "Kill anyone who looks suspicious." Were the commands given by the three highest ranking men in Heart's gang.

Through the pitch of the dark, glowing orbs of white and green were testament to the location of headlights. The three side on a cliff-face, overlooking the thousand+ men. "LET'S GO!!"

"AHH!!" "YEAH!" The rumble of engines being gunned rose high.

"Tear his head off in the name of Heart's Army!"

The motorcade took to the dirt paths of the desert, heading toward Dorado City.

Bart looked to his side and realized that for the entire trip, Lynn has refused to let go of the woman's hand, even now as she slept against the woman's arm.

Now that they were at the gate, Bart was free to pass a lingering gaze at the woman engaged to Ranma. "Man, Ranma sure knows how to pick his women!" Bart couldn't help but remark.

"Actually, **I** found **him**. He was lying in a crater after a meteor shower," the woman with pink hair informed, speaking for the first time since Bart had met her.

"You can talk?!" the boy exclaimed. "Does Ranma know?"

The woman gave a soft, melodic laugh, causing a sensation of peace to flow through his being. "…"

If she were capable of opening her eyes, she would have seen the blush spread over the boy's face. "Ranma, be safe. Please…"

Bart sat back in his seat, patting his belly and let loose a mighty burp. "Oh man, that was great!" he exclaimed.

Princess-Hime blushed and looked away from Bart. "Th-Thank you…" she barely got out.

Ruby smiled at her young hostess and nudged Bart in the side. "I think the princess has a crush on you Bart!" she teased, laughing at the boy when he blushed red.

Ailee managed a smile as Lynn assisted her with eating from her plate. "Thank you Lynn. I can only hope that the daughter I one day have will be like you…" she spoke to Lynn, causing the young girl to smile joyously.

"Ailee-san, I'm sure that Ranma and Ken are going to be fine. But if you want, Bart and I can go back right away to check on them."

'This young girl is far more brave than I could ever hope to be… What kind of life has she been forced to live?' Ailee pondered, smiling in the direction the girl's voice came from.

After spending an entire night in search of the man with seven scars and killing many innocent travelers along the way, the Heart gang regrouped in Heart Town, the city that was one a western-style ghost town.

"Damn, it's morning already…"

"Hehehehe…"

"Where did that guy go…?"

"C'mon, let's get a drink inside." A man and his companion walked into a saloon and seated at a table.

Up at the bar, a slave was dressed in a nice attire, looking like a real barkeep from the old days, when everything was clean.

"Hey, a drink!" Shouted a sober client who just entered the establishment. "Gimme a drink!" he intoned, slamming a fist to the countertop. The thug leaned his back against the bar and growled low. The scar across his face gave the barkeep enough of an idea as to how barbaric the man was.

"Y-Yes, sir."

The thug spun and lashed out with a forearm, bashing the man's cheek. "Don't take so long!"

The small man was thrown the length of the bar, slamming against the far wall of the walk-space.

Another brute reached down, over the counter and hoisted him by the collar. "Hey, snap it up! We're tired,"

"Stop that at once," came a soft voice from the far end of the room.

"What?!" "Who the he- Mr. Heart!"

Mr. Heart indeed.

A massive man, standing at three times the height of an average man, with rotund belly, a bald head, sporting a sour look of disappointment and brown-leather pants, held up by suspenders, was standing at the door leading to the private rooms.

"E-Excuse us, sir!" one of the many men spoke for the group.

Heart let out a long yawn. "You're letting one man make fools out of you. How pathetic." He looked down to the man assigned as shopkeeper and smiled kindly. "Please continue. And if there's any trouble, be sure to tell me. You all are valuable workers." The massive man leaned on the counter, placing his hand on several shards of broken glass. "Now, be good and get me a drink sir."

"Y-Yes, Sir!"

All went silent as Heart's eyes closed and kind smile left his face. Those that were smart left the moment he placed his hand on the counter; but for some reason - be it sleep-deprivation or ignorance - there weren't that many.

"Hmmm?" Heart noised and lifted his hand from the countertop. A single shard of glass fell from his palm and landed against the wood of the bar. "Blood!"

"AHH!" the bartender cried in surprise. "I'm terribly sorry! I'll clean it up right away!" And he made to do just that.

"It hurrrts…" Heart whined, sounding like a toddler with a scraped knee. Tears ran unbidden down the big man's face. "IT HURRRRTS!"

Too fast for the barkeep to react, the big man gripped and squashed his head like a tomato.

"IT HURTS!" Gone was the childlike cry, replaced with a scream of outrage. The bartender's limp body fell to the floor wetly.

"IT HURTS!" Heart screamed and began running through tables, looking for something or someone to make the pain go away.

"There he goes again!" shouted an underling, raising to his full height and preparing to run away.

"IT HURTS!"

"Run for it!" but it was too late! The group was forced to run along the walls, being chased by the big man running around the room, destroying tables among other things.

"Heart goes nuts when he sees his own blood!"

"Yeah and Ranma only made it worse when he claimed he could cure him!"

"_**IT HURTS!"**_ Heart roared, shaking the building to its foundation.

One man, able to think on the fly, pulled out his mace. "Listen, we'll have to nock him out with these. Throw 'em all at the same time!"

The retreating men nodded in unison. "One, two, three!!" They all let loose.

The maces embedded into Heart's belly, only the handles remaining. "Yes! We did it!"

The big man gritted his teeth, his eyes turned crimson and inhaled deeply, sucking the maces further into his person. "I want my RANMA!" Heart shouted, expelling the maces.

The weapons each found the person who threw it and sent the carcasses through the wall behind them.

After a moment of huffing, Heart regained some semblance of control. "Oh dear, I did it again." Heart mourned, though the crooked face made one wonder. "But, I do so hate the sight of blood…" With that, the big man walked off.

Ranma and Ken hid on an overhang to an old prison ground – the building had caved in some time ago, giving the ruins an image like every other building - looking down at the last place that Ranma knew of the Jack gangs haunts.

"That's the place, Ken."

"About how many guards?' Ken stared down at what appeared to be an empty wreck.

"I'd guess about nine to twelve?" Ranma stood up and began to walk away into the distance.

"So you're not even going to help them?" Ken questioned. It seemed to go against everything he felt he knew about his traveling partner.

Ranma paused and looked over his shoulder. "To these people, they would rather live under the Jacks' than be indebted to me. Besides, I trust you can keep them protected." Ranma added the last with a note of pride in his voice.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I'm searching for the man with seven scars and a pistol. He's supposed to be the last practitioner of Hokuto No Ken, the style Shin said can defeat his own."

"…"

"Well, it's been fun, but I've gotta go. Things to do and people to see…" Ranma trailed off into a whistle while trekking into the desert, hands in his pockets.

At the only surviving entrance a pair of men were lounging about, assigned to guard duty. At the moment one was asleep while the other barely kept his eyes open.

RRRUMMBBBBLLLEEE

One of the guards yawned widely, but perked up at the rumbling from the cliff. Staring up, he was shocked into action. He ran to his sleeping partner and began shaking him. "HEY! WAKE UP! HEY, wake up! C'mon! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

At the last possible moment, the man stirred and looked at the oncoming rock. Well, perhaps rock was too light a word, as it was a large round ball, easily the size of a three-story building. The two men scrambled for safety, barely dodging the rock.

From within the prison emerged several other men, all members of the Club and Diamond Gangs.

"Hey, what's going on?!" was the only discernable question from the mass of shouts and grunts.

As they reached the giant rock, one of the men climbed around it, looking to oncoming soldiers. "What's wrong?!"

"What happened?"

The man who had awakened his friend earlier pointed at the large rock. "I dunno; this rock just fell down the mountain all of a sudden!"

"!" exclaimed the man who was climbing over the rock earlier.

"What now?!" Shouted one of group of men.

The man dropped from his place and took up a defensive stance. "Who are you?!" he shouted, pointing to the peak of the mountain.

Up on the top of the rock, Ken stood, backlit by the sun, with a look of death in his eyes. "WAAA AAAAAH TAAAAAH!" Ken shouted as he flipped from the top of the rock and landed before the gathering of the men.

"Who the fuck are you?!"

He took a moment to count the assembled, spotting twelve. "This is all of you, right?"

"**DIE!"** the men shouted in unison, charging Ken with clubs drawn and swords at the ready.

"NNNN… WUTAAA!" Ken caught the leading man by the jaw with a reverse kick.

"TWAA TAAA TAAAA!" Flashes of movement, and the leading four were rebuffed, thrown back from Ken's assault.

Hokuto Shi Hou Zan! (Four-Way Slash Of The North Star!)

The men, after steadying their stances looked to Ken, then began to fidget, as if they had a creature crawling up their backs.

With perfect unison, all four lost a head!

"It can't be…!" "The man with seven scars!"

Ken cracked his knuckles ominously and walked after them. "Run."

"W… What?" asked one of the men in confusion; but confusion turned to anger, and anger blinded them from the fear they once had. "FUCK YOU!" "LET'S GET HIM!"

"HHWAAAA" Ken shouted, allowing his energy to rise, shredding his red shirt, wrist-wrap and blue vest. "**WAAATATATATA! YATATATATA! YATA! TA! TA! TA! TA! TA! WATATATATATATA!**" Ken's fists blurred, spinning in a tight ring as he charged through the gathered group of men.

The battered faces of the men exploded with gore, sending up a heavy torrent of crimson rain.

Ken came up to the cell holding thirty men and women like a pigpen. "Stand back." Without preamble, Ken grasped the bars and forced them to widen, giving enough space for three people to leave the cage at a time.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing!" shouted the gatekeeper, a man that had been sleeping until Ken stretched the bars.

Ken allowed the man to rush him, bringing down his mace for a killing blow. He dodged to the left of the downward swing and embedded his thumbs into the man's skull, just above and behind the temples. "Hokuto Zankai Ken! (North Star Fist Of Lingering Regret!) My thumbs are now embedded in Toui, one of your bodies 708 pressure points. As soon as I remove them, you will have seven seconds to live."

"W-W-What?!" The thug tried scampering away on all fours…

7

But quickly climbed up…

6

And made a mad dash for the exit…

5

He tripped on one of the villagers, holding out a foot…

4

"Why YOU!" He brought his fist back to strike...

"3 Seconds." Ken informed.

The man decided it wasn't worth attacking the frail old man anyway and went for the door again…

2

The moment his hand met the doorknob, his head swelled, pushing his eyes from the sockets and stretching apart his head of long pink hair. "I don't wanna DIE!!"

It was too late for regret as his head, chest and trunk was ripped in half, erupting into a fountain of blood.

As Ken led the villagers to freedom, the sound of a flag flapping in the wind caused him to look over his shoulder at a white flag with a red, shadowed four-point star.

"Bloody Cross? And the man who uses that crest… It must be…"

A white-stone fountain allowed clean water to flow, spilling over the side and watering a garden of lush, green grass, young palm trees, healthy bushes and beds of multihued flowers. Leading to the fountain was a pool with clear water and living fish swimming within.

A scene that could only be described as beauty; especially in this dark age of death and destruction…

Further away, and unable to look at the gardens because it made her sick to her stomach, was Yuria. Yuria was truly a beautiful flower among a world of vines and fungi. Her delicate platinum hair was tossed lightly in the wind, and her warm blue eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"Ken…" she whispered softly. For the first time since Shin had come to possess her, she felt an emotion. "You're still alive. Somewhere, you're seeing the same glimmering sunrise, aren't you?"

She closed her eyes, imagining the image of the young man she had been pledged to marry; the man with the kindest heart that she had ever known. The tears were finally allowed to pour. "I'm so glad. That just makes me so happy. Ken…"

In the diminished lighting of the chamber, Shin entered her room, carrying a tray with the most spectacular gems and metals the world over. "Yuria." He whispered, too low for human ears to pick up. 'Even now you long for Kenshiro…'

Not allowing the emotions in his heart to show, Shin approached Yuria from behind. "Yuria!" he called, commandingly.

The delicate woman turned to face Shin, her face and aura no longer giving off any emotion.

"Look, Yuria. See the glitter of these jewels," Shin stared into the emotionless eyes of the woman he loved. "As you can see, the only person capable of gathering such treasures is me."

Shin began to walk toward the woman again, a look of longing in his eyes. "And the only woman worthy of receiving these glittering gems… Yuria. It's you!"

Yuria shook her head, a sadness coming into her eyes. "But, to gather those jewels, how many people had to die?"

Shin's eyes darkened more, even as he came into the brighter light. "Aren't you pleased? Yuria…"

"I don't think those jewels are beautiful."

"To me, all I see is people's suffering-" Within an eight-sided diamond, the image of a man screaming in agony as he was killed… "Sadness-"

"Anger-" The image of a woman roaring in outrage at the fate befallen of her children and siblings…

"And tears." The image of a child wailing over the crushed and abused body of his dead father…

Shin stared at Yuria, even as she turned to walk away from him. The tray of precious gems spilled like trash against the floor as Shin felt his heart shredded to pieces again. 'Why? WHY?! Why won't you love me…? YURIA!'

The rage inside began to show outside as he shook in anger. "Might makes right! Observe!" He lifted the large diamond Yuria was picturing the people's suffering in, and pinched it between his index and thumb. With only a brief grunt, the diamond shattered like thin glass! "In my bare hands, even a diamond cracks to pieces!"

Yuria never turned to face him, instead proceeding to leave the veranda.

"But, Yuria… Why don't YOU OPEN YOUR HEART TO ME?!"

A twinge and Shin's eyes averted to a place off to the side. "Joker?" he questioned the intruder.

"How perceptive." Joker praised.

"What is it?"

Teleporting into existence, Joker leaned his back against a stone pillar. "The valley prison was apparently attacked.

"The man with seven scars?"

"HmHm… Apparently."

"Hahaha! How foolish, he might have escaped if he were alone. He's only come back to chains." Shin mused aloud, walking to stare at the garden he had made for Yuria. "Where Heart?"

"He should be there by now." Joker announced, playing with his hand of cards.

"GET OVER THERE, TOO!"

"Right…" With that, Joker was gone.

"Kenshiro, Heart is known as the Martial Artist Killer. Be ready to die." Shin spun on his heel. "Yuria, it looks like this time I can give you a present that makes you happy! NYAHAHAHA HAHAHA!"

The sun beat down relentlessly on the dead, red earth, trying to wipe away all that remained of the dying planet's life. The air was heavily distorted by the heat bearing down and higher heat rising.

The many frail men and women marched through the desert sands, seeking the refuge Ken told them about.

"Everyone, we have to hold out, the Rock Mountains are just up ahead. All we've got to do is find shelter…" one of the younger men shouted, boosted the strength of the dehydrated group.

Unfortunately, the human body has a limit as an old man could attest to. The frail old man fell to his knees, his shaggy black hair falling limply over his eyes. "It's no use, I can't walk any more…" He told the others, hoping they would leave him be and continue to their own survival. "I'm finished, please go on without me…"

The group halted, not willing to leave the old man behind, but not strong enough to carry him with them.

Ken came up from his place at the back of the group and knelt by the old man. He placed his index fingers at the half-point – on each leg - between his knee and ankle, pressing a healing point.

The man grunted in fear, but his fears were unjustified. A look of joy and surprise stretched over his face. "OH! It's a miracle! I can walk again!" The old man stood up tall and began to move his legs with strength he hadn't had since his youth.

"I pressed one your body's hidden pressure points. You'll be fine." Ken informed.

With the excitement over, the group picked up their feet and began to move again. This time, they were much relieved.

Ken grunted when his ears picked up the sound of motors. "Hmm?"

"I-It's King's men! They'll kill us!" "OH NO! This is terrible!"

"Old man, take these people to the mountains. I'll handle these guys." Ken ordered, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

"Yeah…" the old man answered and swung his arms in arc. "Follow me."

About fifteen minutes after the group had left, the motorcade came to a halt, numbering around a hundred men.

Ken stood his ground, forcing the mass to stop so they could kill him. "I'll give you three warning, forget about us and LEAVE!"

"Say what?" "This guy's talkin' in his sleep!"

"Second warning, just tell King that we got away."

"Don't make me laugh!" "I'll take credit for this!" announced one of the men, stepping forward and shoving others out of his way.

"Last warning. Go."

"DIE!" he called out, charging forward!

"Hang in there, we're almost to the top!" one of the younger men, a male about twenty or so, called down.

The older people looked up with life in their eyes and nodded.

Kenshiro looked around at the massive graveyard of unburied bodies and released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He dusted his pant leg of sand and turned to the mountains…

The young man from earlier crested the summit with a large grin on his face, and pushed his glasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Alright, everyone! We're just about at the top!" he called down.

However, when he turned to look at the path the laid ahead of tem, he met the faces of 150 men, all adorned with the symbol of a Heart – but for some reason, Heart wasn't there.

One of the men stared with bloodlust in his eyes, licking at his clean blade. "Wait for the others to get up here, then we'll kill 'em all!"

"**RAAH!" **shouted the gathered men as the older people poked their heads over the crest of the smallest mountain.

Faster than any could react, the Heart Gang threw their spike maces into the necks of the escaped prisoners, killing them all with broken necks.

"WAHAHAHAHAHA! Too bad Mr. Heart ain't here to enjoy this!" shouted one of the men as he used his bike to drag the last surviving woman through the superheated sands, burning her flesh, while it was ripped off.

Two of the men wrapped chains around a young man, planning to pull him apart at the waist if they could. "Yeah, he used to enjoy this kind of stuff!"

"Hey, you saw how he freaked in the bar… Imagine if he saw all these people's blood?"

One of the men held up a bloody shirt as a flag. "On your mark! Get set…"

After a few moments of waiting, the men on bikes turned to face the counter, only to see a pile of gore where he once was.

"W-W-What the hell?"

The sound of a footstep brought the gang's attention to a man with a blue vest over a red shirt, with blue pants and a wrapping that went up his left arm.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" "HE MUST BE THE MAN WITH SEVEN SCARS!" "GET HIM!"

Ken stared with his eyes completely covered in black, despite the bright intensity of the sun. A dying man – the same old man he had healed earlier – grabbed Ken's pant leg. "Freedom… Our free…" His words were cut short when he died.

Ken's anger rose to levels he reserved for Shin. "NRRRRAAAHHH!!" The shirt and vest never stood a chance as they were shredded away, baring Ken's chest.

Arcs of angry white electricity jumped free of the Death-god-made-flesh's body. Ken raised his hands to chest-level and prepared to kill every last man.

Several of the men lost their steps as their blood ran cold and an empty feeling filled their bellies. "Wh-What is he?!" "M-Monster!"

Ken began slow steps toward the group of frightened men. "Pigs who have abandoned their Human souls! I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" he announced, pointing at the group of cowards.

"GET HIM!" shouted a man from the back of the crowd. As one the army charged Ken, hoping that Mass could overcome Force.

Joker sat atop the jeep that held Heart. He was no prisoner within, but it kept out the scent and sight of blood. With an amused smirk on his face, Joker "accidentally" knocked off a wall leading to the sight of the prisoners' slaughter. "Whoops, clumsy me…" At that, he teleported away…

"BLOOD!" Heart screamed and threw the remainder of the cage away like tinfoil. "I HATE BLOOD!"

Ken's strikes were so fast that only bright flashes of light and recoils in the air, gave proof he had ever done so. In his wake was line of exploding, melting and disfigured bodies.

"NO! MAKE THE BLOOD **STOOOP**!!"

"Oh NO! Someone let Heart out of his cage!" shouted a nameless man that was crushed by Heart's massive hand.

Kenshiro allowed himself a moment to pause for breath. "Hokuto Kyappu Zan! (North Star Hundred-Way Slash!)"

Ken looked up to only man that remained, Mr. Heart. Without fanfare, Ken struck out with a kick and had his leg swallowed by the man's girthful belly. "Wh-What the hell?!"

"My body is like rubber," Heart informed, his eye crimson ovals. "It cushions me from any attack. So, no matter what silly martial arts attack you try, before you can reach a pressure point…" Heart raised a hand high in the air and brought it down with the force o a charging elephant.

Ken was smashed hard against the ground, his mind going for a loop from the impact and the ground spiderwebbing.

"You'll end up like this." Heart finished. "Only Lord King's Nanto Sei Ken can defeat me."

By a combination of head trauma and memories of associated with Shin, Ken began to hear the words of his master, the man who trained him in the art of Hokuto Shin Ken.

"There are two bodies in the heavens, the North Star and the South Star. The universe is divided into two parts, male and female, negative and positive, yin and yang. The two killing arts are Hokuto No Ken (Fist Of The North Star)" the image of Ken pressing a man's point on his forehead. "And Nanto No Ken (Fist Of The South Star)!" The image of Shin's fingers emerging from the back of a man he just killed.

Ken forced his body to get up. "A man who practices Nanto Sei Ken? So it is him…" Ken mused aloud, now certain that Shin was the man Ranma spoke of earlier. "Hokuto No Ken is invincible!" Ken shouted, falling into a fighting stance.

"Hohohoho, you won't admit that you've lost huh?" Heart mused, the crazed look in his eyes didn't subside, even when raised his arms to squash Ken flatter than a bug.

Ken sent a firm kick to the sternum of Heart, testing the defense of his fat.

"Give it up, it's useless!" Heart shouted.

"Then I'll say it again, Hokuto No Ken is invincible!

"AAAATATATATATA! AAATATATATATA!" Ken cried, kicking Heart in the belly with strikes approaching sound.

"My stomach…" Heart exclaimed in pain. His girth was being pressed aside, exposing him to physical attacks from Ken.

"WUUUUTAH!" Ken drove a fist to the unprotected solar plexus. "Hokuto Juu Hazan! (North Star: Death By Soft Strikes!)" Ken removed his fist from the blubber wall. "I've pressed one of you hidden pressure points. You are already dead."

"Huh…?" Heart questioned, disbelieving for all of a second. Heart's giant belly swelled and several pockets erupted, sending blood in fountains, then his chest went; the entrails poured sporadically form the several holes. Finally, his body was hidden behind a veil of red….

Joker was not amused and left from his place of vigilance.

Shin gritted his teeth. "Joker!"

The man appeared in a flash of light, leaning against a pillar and cleaning the tip of a dagger. "You summoned me, my master?"

Shin felt like ripping out a few hearts, but after having every member of the Four Jacks gang, the death toll was high enough as it was. "Of course I did. Who else would call on someone as useless as you."

Joker's face dropped. While he knew Shin was speaking out of anger, the words still hurt.

"Summon a representative of every gang that works for me, I have an announcement to make. Can you handle something so simple?"

Joker didn't answer, as that would only increase Shin's bad mood, as he teleported away.

Started 12/25/2007 Completed 12/27/2007 


	5. Chapter 5

_Assault On Utopia, The End Of Peace_

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Ranma knew what he had to do. Things were getting too dangerous to allow the psychopathic killer, Shin, to be near Yuria. So, all he had to do was sneak up on him and slit his throat, way easier said than done!

The doors to Ranma's lodging were blown inward and the other three members given the title of Ace, stood there. "Ace of Spades, you have been found guilty of treason, time to DIE!" Kumon Ryu shouted, charging his battle aura for a new fight of epic proportions.

Rouge, locked within her cursed form, stood beside Ace of Hearts, the man who would later be known as Joker. The look on her three faces was a look of sorrow, as she and Ranma were lovers, even raising his daughter together. She held her head in shame.

Ranma smirked and winked at Heart. "I guess you decided to pursue Shin's bed, eh Heart?" Ranma taunted, skirting around a series of vacuum blades thrown by Kumon, who was now a fourteen-foot mammoth of a man, with more muscle than there should be on the human anatomy.

"I thought I told you that you're gonna die, Ranma!" Heart shouted, throwing a series of card projectiles at Ranma, boxing him to be struck by a hurricane-force vacuum blade.

"GAH!" Ranma cried out in pain and was thrown through the wall behind him, and the one behind it and the next…

After traveling through four buildings, Ranma came to a rest at the feet Rouge, whose tears splashed the young man, changing him to a woman. "I'm sorry about this Rouge, my darling," Ranma swore, using her smaller, delicate hands to trace the jawline of two of the faces, while she delivered a kiss to the third. "One day we'll be together again, and no one will be able to separate us." With that, she slashed Rouge into four pieces: three torsos and a set of beautiful legs.

Ryu, known as Ace of Clubs, and Heart arrived a moment later and began bombarding Ranma with their heaviest attacks. Ranam was forced into a retreating pattern to avoid the multitude of sonic-speed cards, and vacuum blades.

"Dammit! Time to kill you both!" Ranma shouted and charged his Ki, then let loose with a steady beam of energy, shredding Club into ribbons, while Heart evaded the attack and went into full retreat, getting Ranma to chase him to his doom…

Shin stood on a stage overlooking over a thousand representatives. "I have called you here to send a message to every man in your gang. I want Ranma's head." Shin began to pace the length of the stage. "Already he has stirred up trouble with God's Army, and slaughtered the armies of the Four Jacks. There is no excuse for you, who I have taught in the styles of Nanto Sei Ken to lose!"

The assembled began shouting in agreement. "Half of you will lead a strike on Utopia City, the other half will scour the desert, in search of Ranma. Whoever brings me his head will be promoted to the rank of general; and I don't give a damn if it's a pathetic villager who brings it to me!"

"**RRRAAAHHHH!!"** the men and women shouted in bloodlusting glee. The opportunity to reach the rank of General was very rare; and so they would do their best to reach it.

"Now GO! Bring me the head of Ranma!"

To say that word spread fast was an understatement, as every villager who wanted safety and security for their small town, every lackey who was tired of being a gopher, every gang head that wanted more territory and every small time, two-bit criminal was on the lookout for Ranma.

Of course it didn't help Ranma's case that he was a well-known tyrant. There wasn't a village that didn't know the face of the man titled Ace of Spades.

Bart looked around the decaying village at the way the people were spending extra time sharpening their blades and shivered nervously. "Hey Ken, what do you think is up with everyone here?"

Lynn nodded and looked up to the man she thought of as a father.

"…" Ken knelt low and hefted a flyer, flapping in the wind. "It appears that some man named King wants Ranma dead."

"W-WHAT?!" Bart exclaimed, and snatched the flyer. "This says that King will make whoever turns in Ranma a general in his army!" Bart looked from Ken to Lynn, then at the villagers. "We've gotta warn Ranma about this!"

Several of the villagers perked up and quickly surrounded the group of travelers. "Did you just say that you know Ranma?" Threatened one of the many men, thrusting his rusted sword at Bart.

Bart waved in his hands in a warding gesture!" Come on, we're just travelers. Why would we know Ranma?"

One man from the back of the crowd forced his way up. "I **knew** I recognized that voice! He's Ranma's driver!"

"WHAT?!" "Let's get 'em!" "Yeah!"

And so the villagers charged, only to have their weapons knock ed away by Ken. 'Ranma wasn't kidding when he said that most people don't like him…' "Why are you attacking us? We've done nothing to you."

"It doesn't matter! We're gonna use you as bait and capture Ranma!" Shouted the man who recognized Bart earlier.

"Stop this, right now!" Shouted an aged old voice.

"Elder! You shouldn't be out here!" warned several of the no-longer-armed men.

The elder waved off their concern. "I want safety for this village as much as the rest of you, but to behave like King's men is not the way to go about getting it!  
The old man fell to his knees and began coughing furiously. When his fit subsided, he pulled away the bloody cloth and forced his dying body to regain its feet.

The mass hung their heads in shame…

"ATTACK!!" Shouted General Shogun Barcum, a burly man with a blue helmet that covered his head, except certain parts of his face.

At the moment he was leading the initial surprise strike against Ranma's fortress of Utopia. Since he had been a general for the longest, he was quite well aware of Ranma's many allies, most of which were barely human!

"LOOK!" shouted a very surprised thug, pointing to the sky. "Ranma allied with the heavens and commands the angels!"

Before the people could regain their wits, the "angels" dropped from the sky, raining lances through armor and lifting those with thick armor high into the sky and letting them freefall.

"Regroup!" Shogun shouted, pulling men into a tighter alignment. "The further you are from your brother the easier they can pick you off!"

Listening to his guidance, the man pulled in tighter and began to repel the attacks from the sky, piling the bodies of the dead over their heads. "**"RAAAAHHHH!!"** they surged forward, storming the entry gate and scaling the fortified walls.

Like the Phoenix he takes after, Saffron ascended into the sky, burning with red-yellow flame and level his sun-headed staff at the group of storm troops. "BURN!" Saffron commanded.

The screams of the torched rang loudly into the distance, giving warning to those still approaching the city gates.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Ryoga shouted as he came to a halt behind the enemy line.

"We're storming Ranma's castle! Didn't you know that?" shouted one the human cannonballs, as he climbed within his cannon.

"You there, why are you standing around, get in a cannon, fool!" shouted a large gruff man.

Ryoga growled low, "No one calls me a fool!" Ryoga charged the man and punched him the length of the battlefield.

Oyaji, leader of the Wolf Clan happened to be approaching Utopia for a brief stay when he saw the war raging. "My sons, our cousin Ranma is under siege! We must help him! FOR RANMA!"

"**FOR RANMA!"** the Fangs shouted and charged forward, joining the battle at Ryoga's side.

At three days journey, Ranma came to realize that he had left behind his bike was seriously considering writing things on notes. But, since he was to far to go back for it, Ranma had pressed on.

Now, ten days since he had left Ken, he wasn't too worried about the bike, he trusted that Bart would place the bike in a storage. "Damn," Ranma mused as he disentangled himself from the bedsheets

Lying seductively between the sheets was a woman he had once given the secrets of the higher magicks to. "Ranma, I must say, if not for what we did last night, I would most certainly of turned you in to King." Madame Patra pulled her worn out body into a sitting position.

Ranma smirked. "Who are trying to fool, Patra? You never were much of a liar," Ranma charged a burst of ki and blasted through a wall, eliciting a scream of torment from a group of waiting thugs.

Patra paled, all her scheming was for naught. "H-How?"

Ranma sat at the edge of the bed, pulling his clothing on. "I'm Ki-sensitive. Their bloodlust is as easy for me to detect as a skunk crossing a road."

With that said, Ranma walked out of the bedchamber and into the glaring sun…

From inside the city walls, over a million men and women were now clad in riot control armor and loading ammunition into their guns for oncoming wave of attacks.

"All city defenders to the Ucchan! Repeat: All city defenders to the Ucchan!" came across the intercom. Like clockwork, the multitude of soldiers rose to their full height and marched to the battleship Ranma had had restored.

"FIRE!" shouted a commanding raider. Following his order the human cannonballs sailed through the air. The air screamed for mercy as the hundred men sail.

Nanto Ningen Houdan! (South Star Human Cannonball!)

The multitude of men passed clear over the wall, some cutting down the Phoenix warriors, while others sailed a clear path.

The low thrum of a foghorn blared, causing the fighters to clutch at their ears. From behind the gate, the "RATATATATAT!" of sub-machineguns thundered.

All eyes turned up to view a sight that caused more than a few men to wet their pants and try to run…

From behind the solid wall of Utopia, a fully restored battleship rose into the air, held aloft by ten balloons - courtesy of Nekonron's Seven Lucky-gods Kingdom. The three hundred seventy-two assault cannons began to blare as the flying fortress opened fire, mowing down the attackers.

Smasher Wolf, a captain of the most violent sect of Shin's army, stood at the front gate of Utopia, arms folded and a fanged grin on his face. "Knock down these walls!" he shouted with glee.

The bloodthirsty underlings of Smasher Wolf gladly did as told, used a crane with a wrecking ball to beat down the walls, opening a large gap for them to enter through.

The sound of the air being chopped made those aboard the Ucchan wary. So as one they looked to the sky to spot an incoming swarm of helicopters.

"All Apache pilots prepare for deployment!" Came over the onboard intercom. "Repeat: All Apache pilots, prepare for deployment!"

After several hours of battling at the first, second and third walls, the air was too thick to see through, the sky burned and thick wafts of black smoke forced its way into the nostrils of any it could reach, choking many a man to death.

Ever once in awhile the scream of a jet fighter could be heard passing by, alerting all who were left to hide for cover.

Among the many survivors was the full legion of Red Berets, the force known as God's Army…

Sgt. Mad, the cruelest S.O.B. in God's Army, excluding the Colonel, briefed the troops on the mission. "For all of you new recruits that don't know, we are here to exact revenge on Ranma for killing five of our guys. The way we do that is, each of us will kill ten of Ranma's guys for each of our dead. That's fifty men apiece. Collect something of value on each of you kills, because we're gonna take a head count at the end. Since there's twenty of us, I better have 2,500 trinkets, got that little bastards?"

"**Yes, Sir!"** the company shouted in unison, a moment before charging into the slave town, where the sound of people being beaten rang loudly.

Sirens wailed in protest as the Ucchan took a nose-dive, aiming for the largest mass of Shin's army. The truth was, the Ucchan was dying; the Blackbird army's grenade runs and spear strafing had taken its toll, severing the ropes attached to several of the support lines, linking the balloons to the fortress.

"Assault Troops to the fore!" Shouted Commander Tom Smith, a six-foot man, dressed head to toe in US Marine fatigues; doubled over urban assault armor.

The thousands did as was bade of them. "Well, folks, I'm never gonna see some of you again, but I want you to know that it was a pleasure serving with you!" Smith shouted over the obnoxious klaxons going off in the background.

With that, the assault party became elite paratroopers and descended into battle, seeking the death of all who threaten their land…

Shin growled low. "So, Kenshiro is still alive and no one knows where Ranma is?"

Joker nodded.

A short distance away, Yuria's harp playing seemed to enlighten at the news. The depressed song of her heart was now a joyous melody, celebrating the continued survival of the man she loved, and the man she called friend. "Kenshiro, Ranma…"

"Assemble a motorcade! I have to go speak with my dear, elder brothers." Shin announced, dismissing Joker with a back swing…

Ranma stared at the wall of irate farmers, leveling pitchforks, shovels, axes and spears at him. Even the village's children were staring balefully at Ranma.

"We won't let you add us to your list of conquered cities!" shouted the village elder, emphasizing his words by thrusting his polearm at Ranma.

"Old man, put that stick down before you hurt yourself!" Ranma barked, proceeding into the city anyway. "If I were here to kill you, I would have done so already."

One of the youths, feeling a bit sure of his abilities, charged Ranma and brought his axe down on Ranma's skull! "DIE!"

Ranma turned to face the boy, a stream of blood pouring down his face in a narrow stream. "The fuck did you do that for?!" Ranma shouted, clutching the tender spot on his head.

The young man looked down at his axe, lying in a pile of shredded bits, then to Ranma who was squatting in place and holding a tender spot on his scalp. "M-Monster! MONSTER!" the boy shouted, running away to find shelter.

Screams erupted from the masses and everyone ran for safety, looking for a decent hiding place.

Ranma looked up with a grin on his face, and pocketed the packet of fake blood. "No sense in making them believe I'm a real monster," he mused aloud, and began to journey through the village in search of a decent vehicle.

Ken looked into distance and was able to make out a trail of ascending smoke. "Bart, do you know where that place is?"

"Hmm?" Bart looked from Ken to the horizon, but could see nothing. Pulling out his pair of binoculars he could barely make out the smoke column. "Th-Th-That's…" he was too baffled to continue speaking, but pointed numbly at the place in the distance.

Lynn looked up from feed Bell, her little white puppy, and took the binoculars. "Hey Bart, isn't that where we were the other day?"

"Mhmm" he noised, nodding his head weakly. "It looks like King decided to bring the fight to Ranma…"

Ken stared into the distance with an expressionless mask. In his mind he was reliving the day that Shin approached him and Yuria. That was the day he received his seven scars. It was also the day he lost his loved one, Yuria. She had given herself for him to be spared.

"Shin…" Ken growled as he thought finding his bastard blood-brother.

"You know, you guys are lucky," remarked the owner of the establishment, a rundown shop; formerly a diner. "Most of God's Army has left town and only the Colonel and his elites are here."

"God's Army?" Ken inquired, being pulled from his thoughts.

"Yeah," the barkeep answered, wiping a shot glass clean.

The giant, muscular men, known as God's Army began skewering people left and right, unheeding of the bulletproof armor worn by their victims.

"God's Army is the cruelest group of fanatics in King's forces."

A soldier drove his hand knife into the eye of a Phoenix warrior and ripped the skullcap off.

"It's been said that they were once Red Berets, before the Fallout."

Sgt. Mad used the crane's wrecking ball to mow down an entire line of troopers, slicing the men to rivets.

"Genuine Red Berets?!" Bart exclaimed, the sound of terror in his voice.

Inside a Nursery, a woman and several children huddled together at the back as the door was bashed in, allowing five soldiers admittance. The woman and children shrieked in fright as the man cut them to size, laughing in ecstatic delight at the bloodletting.

"That's right! And no matter how many mercenaries we sent after them, they've never killed a single one!"

"That ain't entirely true," came a voice from a burly man, standing twelve feet with arms that nearly dragged on the ground. "What about Captain Sparx?"

The middle-aged man placed his glass down and scratched at his chin. "If I recall correctly, the word from soldiers was that Ranma did 'em in."

"What?! Ranma ain't been this far into King's land in ages!" the burly man proclaimed. "I killed Capt. Sparx, got it?" he threatened, lifting a stool and crushing it to powder in his hands.

The sound of a jeep screeching to a halt, and of an engine idling, made everyone turn to face the door, where a thirty year old man stood, his wiry mustache crinkling as he snarled.

He proceeded to the barkeep, pointedly ignoring everyone else in the room.

The burly man gulped, backing away from the company commander and entertaining himself with pressing his fingers together in a corner.

The military man whipped out his beater – a horse crop - and slapped it against the counter top. "I'm here to collect."

The barkeep nodded quickly and ran to his vault to pull out four potato sacks of food. "You know I heard a rumor that it wasn't Ranma that killed Sparx, but a mercenary, with a lot of power." He tossed out.

The man spat at the ground. "The day some merc has the ability to kill one of God's Army, is the day I'll retire."

The burly man grit his teeth. It wasn't fair that no one believed his story! It was true had killed Captain Sparx and sent the pooled remains to the Colonel, but it was after Ranma had beaten the men into the depths of death, then revived them.

Bell, the little puppy walked up to the military man and licked at his boot. The man looked down in disgust and kicked the dog away. "Stupid mutt."

"Bell!" Lynn shouted and grabbed up the puppy. "She was just trying to say hi!" Lynn returned with a scathing glare.

The man sneered at the little girl. "You can learn some manners too, brat!" He moved to kick the girl, but was intercepted by Ken. "Oh, you wanna be a hero?"

"…"

"A tough guy, huh?" He tightened his horse crop, "Let's go outside."

The man ran out the door, followed by Ken; outside several men climbed free of the jeep. "I'm gonna beat you into submission boy!"

Ken cracked his knuckles.

The group of five men ran forward, intending to kill Ken quickly. Ken slipped around sloppy punches and ninchaku strikes, striking pressure points along the men's bodies.

"Huh?" came the consensus of the confused males garble. "He didn't do nothin'!" "GET 'IM!"

Like all the times before, the men stopped in the tracks, clutching their bulbous heads in agony, before they blew off into bits of pieces.

The C.O. looked at the dead bodies, then at Ken. "Dammit… Now you're gonna get it!" he shouted, running forward with the desire to cleave Ken's head from its base.

Ken dodged the many strikes, and lashed out in full assault. "WAA! TATATATATATATATATA! YATATATATATATA! YATATATATATATA! WUUU TATATATATATA! WAAATAAAA!" he ending his Hundred Crack Fist with a fierce kick, sending the man flying back into the side of his jeep.

The man crawled up to his feet, a look of horror on his face. "I-I'll be back, then you'll be sorry!" He jumped into the jeep and burned rubber down the road.

Ken began a slow pace back into the shop.

"You're just going to let him get away?" the barkeep questioned. "You're stupider than you look!"

"That man is already dead."

In the distance, the shout of pained horror could be heard, following by the sound of a car crashing, and the explosion of said vehicle.

Ranma tore up the sand as he floored the gas pedal in the Ferrari he had found. While it sucked on gas, Ki seemed to make it go much faster! At the moment he was traveling at 450 MPH, ignoring any speed signs he came across.

"WAAAHAHAHAHOOOO!" Ranam shouted out as he passed a motorcade. Had he been paying attention or going a tad bit slower, he would have recognized Shin standing on the front jeep, staring into the distance.

"Man, this is great! I'll reach Jackal in a few more hours at this rate."

And he did; in four hours and thirty minutes to be more accurate.

Ranma stared at the assembled thugs that Jackal had a habit of shortchanging constantly. "What's eating you guys?" Ranam questioned, not liking the way they stared at him with bloodlust crazed eyes.

Several of the men began licking their blades, smelling a promotion, and the opportunity to kill Jackal. "GET HIM!" Shouted some unnamed, faceless thug.

Ranma blinked an instant before he was under a pile of human beasts.

Jackal's smirk fell when he saw his men storm his door, and charge in, blades exposed. "We're tired of takin' yer orders, so we caught Ranma, and now we're turnin' him in for a reward!"

Jackal blinked. "Ranma's here?" the men nodded, haughtily. "And he let you guys catch him?" they nodded again. "SHIT! I've gotta get outta here, before he comes lookin' fer me!"

"Too late, fucker!" Ranma shouted, covered in the blood of his victims. "Let me guess, you didn't order them to attack me did you?" Ranma intoned, cracking his knuckles, and ignoring the way the other men snarled at him.

Jackal decided it was best to take a gamble and if he didn't like the results, he could get out of Dodge! He nodded.

Ranma nodded slowly, menacingly. "You've got some info that I need, Jackal, and I need it now!"

"FUCK YOU BASTARD!" "TIME TO DIE!" "DON'T THINK YOU CAN IGNORE US!"

Thirty men charged at Ranma, blades, maces and any object that could be considered a weapon was out and the man holding it was rushing at Ranma.

Ranma smirked. "Try my Silver Flash!" Ranma called out.

His eyes turned pure silver and a silver flame lit within their depths. Suddenly the world went white and the only visible was a burning white fire, lashing out and consuming both soul and body, in an eternal hell.

Jackal climbed up, from the table he was hiding under and stared at pools of boiling blood where his mutinist men used to be. "Wh-What was that?"

Ranam placed a hand on the shoulder of Jackal causing the man to start and run for the door. "Where are you going to run, Jackal?"

As Jackal ran through the door leading to the outside, he found that he had somehow come to the door that leads to the closet. "What? How did I end up here?"

Rather than let that get to him, tried for the front door again, only to emerge from the kitchen, with a parka on, dusting off the snow. "Damn, that was weird!"

Ranma blinked. "Man, I got to lessen the effects of the Hibiki Curse…"

Ken stood before a building that could only be described as a castle. The gates for admittance was guarded by four men, each holding AK-47's and cackling about some joke or another.

Upon spotting Ken, the men leveled their weapons on him. "You there, you'd better turn around, sign-ups are in the other building."

Ken stared at the men impassively and continued on his path.

"Last chance buddy. Turn around!" the man called out, louder this time.

When Ken didn't seem to pay them any attention, the men exchanged looks, then trained their weapons on the wandering drifter. "Kill him!"

"**YEAH!"** the men shouted with a bit too much glee….

Ken makes his way to Colonel and kills him

Jagi cackled loudly as he shot down an innocent woman, and began a game kick the toddler with her three-year-old son.

"Man, this is fun! We ought to play this game more often!" remarked one of the men who followed the unofficial Hokuto master.

Jagi tossed back his head, and howled in joyous delight. "Yer a tough kid, you know that?" he said to the small boy, laying on the ground crying into his broken arm. "Usually a little brat would die from shock. Who knows, maybe you when you get older, I'll make a member of my gang!"

All the men began laugh audaciously at the joke.

A rock sailed through the air, and impacted the back of Jagi's head. "Hey!" the massive man shouted, rubbing at the tender zone. "Who did that?"

Ranma, wearing a set of worn-through clothes pointed at an innocent old man. "It was him! He said he wouldn't stand for your ways in his village."

"What?!" Jagi exclaimed, turning to face the elder, who stared at Ranma pale-faced. "You wanna do that again?!"

Ranma pulled out a page from his youth and used his Saotome Marionette Technique, animating the old man's body to how he wanted.

The old man knelt low and hefted a sturdy rock. "Yeah, sure. Why not?" It was advantageous that Jagi hadn't ever heard the elder's voice before, as Ranma's frail geezer impression left a lot to be desired.

Jagi stood to his full height and growled as watched the old man toss the rock in his aged palm. "What are you idiot s waiting for, an invitation? GET HIM!" Jagi commanded.

The many men charged the elder, hoping to end the exchange quickly, so they would save some face with the boss. "RAAAH!!"

The old man skirted around the clumsy strikes, causing the men to beat up themselves. Ranma would have used some fancy tricks and flashy attacks, but didn't know how fragile the old farts body was.

The old man dusted his hands. "Well, that was certainly easier than I thought it would be."

Jagi let out another growl and placed his gun in the holster, not willing to waste bullets on the decaying hunk of flesh before him. "You're in for a treat, old timer! I'm gonna kill you with my Hokuto Shin Ken assassination technique."

The old man fell into a Musabetsu defensive stance, both arms at chest level, with the weight supported evenly on both legs. "Bring it on, kiddo."

Jagi charged forward, arms cocked back for a devastating punch, only to have his kinetic energy halted, reversed and returned in his back. So saying, the Hokuto man was thrown back at the speed of his punch and impacted forcefully into a wall, then through it.

"Anything Goes, Founding School Technique…" the old man answered of the unasked question.

"Anything Goes…?" "I didn't know the elder even knew martial arts…" "Why hasn't he done something before…?" Came the many muffled questions of the confused citizens.

"HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!" Jagi roared, coming from the hole in the wall. "You haven't done nothing to me **yet**, old timer!"

Ranma was impressed to say the least. The only ones he could think of that could take one of their own blows were Shin, Ryoga and himself.

"No more playing around!" Jagi announced and unloaded on the old man, hitting the points for a Hundred Crack Fist, which caused the old man to explode and Ranma to teleport back to his place from before.

"Any one else wanna get in my way?" Jagi threatened, leveling the gun at the crowd.

Ranma splashed himself with cold water, something that Shin had only heard rumors about, and walked up to Jagi. There was sense in taking the chance this guy and Shin are buddy-buddy. "Oh! Mr. Hokuto-man!" she called and charged up him, hugging on to his arm.

Jagi looked down at the woman with a bust size larger than his well-muscled chest. "Who are you, little girl, and what do you want?"

Ranma blinked her eyes cutely, giving the deadly man a mouth full of cavities. "I've never met such a powerful man, before! Would you allow me in to your bed?"" she pleaded, rubbing her weapons against Jagi's arm.

Inside Ranma was celebrating. It had taken forever, but he had finally found the only remaining North Star expert; the man who was exiled by the heir.

Sure, Shin had reportedly killed the heir, but Ranma held no weakness that Shin could exploit.

Sgt. Mad smiled merrily at the assortment of medallions. "This is great! You all passed the test; welcome to God's Army!" he praised. "No move out, our job's done here."

One of the young men that were just initiated thought to speak out of turn, "But what about the battle? Shouldn't we stay and help?"

"What was that?!" Mad thundered. "We aren't here for the war, we came to get revenge on Ranma! Now, let's go!" He waved his arm forward and the men loaded up in the trucks and jeeps; then tore through the wilderness, heading for home…

It had taken awhile, but the Ucchan, a flying battleship, was airborne once again; this time with the support of the carrier ships, Akane and Shampoo. At the moment, forty-five fighter jets sailed the skies, shooting down everyone that stood against Utopia and driving away the forces of Shin's Army.

Through the streets, Marines continued to mow down the remnants of the assault forces, backed by the strafing Phoenix warriors.

The howls of the Kiba (Wolf) Clan rang through the night air, adding to the terrifying wails of the tortured. The wind brought with it the scent of death and of bodies rotting, inter-mixed with the scent of heavy perspiration and of fresh bloodspill.

Ryoga snapped a thirty-foot man's neck like a twig, grinning madly. Unlike the days of his youth - when he was a tall, but averagely so, young man - he was now a forty-foot man, utilizing a technique he and Ranma mastered, based off the old letch's move. "Who's next?"

A massive, thirty-foot man, covered in nothing but muscle stepped forward, backed by his many compatriots. "I'm known as Flame, and my Nanto Baksatsu Ken (South Star Exploding Fist) is unparalleled!" To emphasis his point, he punched a wall, throwing shrapnel in every direction. "How do you like that? Shaking in your boots, I see…" he taunted.

Ryouga smirked finding the situation ironic. "How about you see mine? BAKSAI TENKETSU!" Ryouga laid a palm against the ground, and everything around Flame exploded into sharp shards of shrapnel, slicing the man into rivets, and leaving nothing untouched.

Ryouga looked at his palm. "Heh! Still got it."

Ranma looked at the slumbering form of the man she allowed within her. While most would find such an action disgusting, such values were left behind in the old days. Now, one did what they could to survive.

'Besides, I can always look back and call it payment…' Ranma mused with a smirk. From beneath the nightgown Jagi had acquired for her, Ranma pulled out three eggs and splattered them against Jagi's chest.

Ranma found herself lucky that Jagi was almost as heavy a sleeper as she was.

Resting on the bed was a giant egg, easily large enough to fit a full grown human within.

"Now all I gotta do, is keep his pansies out of here 'til morning." With that thought in mind, Ranma began cleaning her fingernails, preparing to apply some very expensive, and hard to come by nail-polish on. "At least I will look good when he comes out…"

Shin extended his arms wide, bringing his motorcade to a halt. "From here, I will travel alone. You will wait here for my return, and if anything should happen to Yuria, I will chase you into hell and kill you myself!"

Yuria looked up from her place beside the man who loved her. "Shin, you aren't really planning to go see **him** are you?"

While Yuria was incapable of loving Shin in any manner, she held a feeling of security when he was nearby, which was more than she could say about the bloodlust-crazed men, Shin had assigned as her bodyguards.

'Well, at least General Purple is here.' She mused, looking at the older man. Of all the men in Shin's control Purple seemed to have both a brain that thought beyond settling his bloodlust and a compassionate heart that had proven itself loyal to Shin on more than one occasion.

Purple looked over from his jeep at Yuria, sending a silent message that said he would watch over her.

Shin watched the interplay and made a memo to have Purple executed when he returned. As for now… "Allow me to pass through the gate, fool, or I will kill you!" Shin demanded of the five sentries, standing atop the only entrance to The Holy Cross Pyramid, the structure Emperor Souther was ordering to be built.

"Who the hell do you think you are!" "YEAH!" "We don't take no orders from you!"

Shin smiled…

Started 12/26/2007 Completed 12/27/2007

"199X…"

The image of an atomic explosion, followed by the deafening roar of a hypersonic boom….

The mushroom cloud that has been forever acquainted with the phenomenon is, once again, associated with the nuclear fallout…

"The Earth was devastated by a nuclear war…"

In once beautiful cities, filled to the brim with life of all kind, lay the twisted remains of steel support beams. Melted statues made of stone, copper and bronze gave idea to the extreme temperatures associated with being within the vicinity of a nuclear explosion.

The soil, once fertile ground and moist with rainwater was now doing its best impression of deserts and sand. Even the water, once used for such frivolous things as taking daily baths was tainted and radioactive to the degree that pools may have a hundred boiling men floating about and more to come….

For some, the world of today was a science fiction concept; but for those still alive…

Ranma Saotome: Musabetsu No Ken. (Unlimited Fists)

Shin wiped the blood from his cheek and kicked away the dead body of Souther's soldier. "You there!" he called, pointing to the position where a man hid behind a wall. "Go get Souther and tell him Shin is waiting at his front door."

The man, fearful of death went to do just that.

"There is no need to scurry away, rodent." A voice came from the shadows where a man, in loose blue slacks, and a white cape that hid his upper body. The man wore a white mask with a set of horns at the top and a pair of horns on bottom, but his short-cropped blonde hair was plainly visible. "I have anticipated your arrival for some time now, Shin. I assume you are still in struggle with that Ranma-guy?"

Shin sneered. If there was anything he hated more than admitting that Souther scared him shitless, it was that Souther always seemed to have an informant among Shin's ranks. "If you knew, then why didn't you open the gate?"

"For the same reason you didn't bring Lady Yuria within."

Shin's nostrils flared and his lip seemed to be frozen in a permanent snarl.

"I have already summoned for Yuda, but he politely declined your call to arms, saying his loyalty lies with Raoh."

"He always was a fool." Shin returned. For his plan to work, he needed all the Nanto Roku Sei Ken (Six Fists of the South Star Constellation). "I hope your army consists of more than average thugs, Souther, or are you so scared that someone will appear that supercedes your power?"

Souther seethed behind his mask, but did not allow his aura to show it. "Those men are merely guards; but what use do I have of a guard?" Souther flexed his arm muscles.

"NYAAH!" The man who planned to run and tell Souther was sliced to pieces in a diagonal way.

Souther took a moment, but removed his mask. "As for your allegiance, we will show the world the might of only three Nanto Roku Sei Ken, then rejoice when our brothers join us!"

Already six months have passed since Shin and Souther united. In that time;

Ken has continued his path to find and kill Shin, then get back the woman stolen from him.

Utopia has gladly followed Ailee and Princess-Hime into the very pits of hell, holding the city of Freedom and Justice strong.

The Musk Dynasty, Joketsuzoku and The Phoenix Tribe have relocated as defenders of Utopia, honoring the memory of the man who saved them from the Fallout and brought peace to Jusenkyo Valley.

The Crest of the Bloody cross is the most well-known symbol the world over, even reaching overseas.

And so, the second part to the story begins…

Che! Damn I'm bored!" complained a giant burly man. Just by looking at him, one can tell that he has been in his fair share of fights. He stood at twelve-feet, his muscles bulged, stretching the fabric of his clothes beyond what they should allow. Over his chest were several crisscrossing scars, reaching up to his face; the blade strapped to his waist was in impeccable condition, giving testament to the lack of use recently.

"I know what you mean. Ever since that bitch, Rei showed up, Lord Jagi won't even let us kill no one!" Remarked another giant, this one dwarfing the first by a good five inches. "All I want to do is run my blade through someone and lick the blood off. Is that so wrong?"

The sound of the earth trembling under the strain of something enormous tipped the men off. Each looked up from their place, and stared into the distance.

Far into the expanse of sand, the blurred image of something black, carrying something else on its back could be seen. Every foot that it came closer, the ground shook harder.

"W-What is that?!"

Suddenly, where once there was just the first image, an entire line of black spread across the horizon, looking like a plague of locusts bearing down on a farmer's crop.

"TROUBLE!! WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!!" shouted the two men, running into the village to alert Jagi.

Ranma looked down at her swollen belly and grimaced. What was originally a one-night stand had led to her being six-months pregnant. It wasn't that she couldn't love a child; it was the fact that she wouldn't be able to see her dreams come true until after the child was born.

"Shin, you had better take good care of Yuria, and don't you dare allow that bastard Souther to touch her…" Ranma whispered under her breath.

"Hmm…? Did you say something?" Jagi inquired. At the moment both were seated on thrones, overlooking the reconstruction of Bear Town, the capital of Hokuto, Lord Jagi and Lady Rei's nation.

Lady Rei (Ranma) adjusted her legs, crossing the left over the right and leaning on an elbow toward Jagi. "I was only thinking aloud, dear."

The sound of hurried feet and the sight of the throne room doors being imploded alerted the pair to the urgency of the man's message. "TROUBLE!" shouted a man, wheezing for each breath.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Jagi fumed, his aura spreading from his body. "It had better be good or you're gonna die a _very_ painful death."

The man swallowed and considered if his warning would be seen as important or not. "Th-There's a- an army approaching! There's too many to count!"

"What was that?!" Lady Rei demanded. There was no way the Nanto forces could have reached so far so fast! And Jagi's land was bordered by Hokuto Masters; men and women trained by Jagi and Rei, personally.

(AN: I use the term Master in cross-reference with modern martial arts; meaning they are able to teach juniors, are not aware of all the styles and techniques involved in such diversified style.

Jagi rose from his throne and holstered his favorite pistol, readying to go to battle. "Rei, my darling, I am going alone, you must keep our child safe!"

Rei nodded. It was the fate that she hated. She needed Jagi to be in power until the full term was reached and she had fully recovered. Suddenly, a thought struck her. "Jagi, you must hurry. Be careful my Lord and take my Fighting spirit with you!"

Jagi turned to face his wife and nodded. He walked over to a stand and pulled out a lamp with a magical incense; one that Re had used many times in the past two months to train the Hokuto Masters during her pregnancy.

Rei inhaled deeply of the thick black smoke and her shadow separated from her body, but unlike her, the shadow was not pregnant.

"Let's go!" Jagi commanded. The shadow nodded and fell behind the man, the two rushing to fight an unknown opponent.

The giant shadow from before had been revealed as a man on horseback. However, unlike any other man on a horse, both were titans in comparison to giants! The man was dressed in all black and wore a golden helmet with horns protruding from the cheek-plates and pointing forward; down his back was a long flowing black cape with a red interior.

The man held his arm out, signaling his army to come to a halt. This was the first of many stops he had to make. "…"

Jagi stood on the other side of the un-drawn line, his own helmet – a blue metal that covered everything but his eyes and a grill that exposed bits of his mouth. To his side was an impossibly dark woman, wearing a silk cheongsam, with fiery red hair that cascaded down her back, tapering at her bottom.

"Ra- Raoh?" Jagi gasped, sweat beginning to spill from topless chest.

"Hmmm?" The man noised, staring between the seven scars on the man's chest and the helmet over his head. "Jagi? Why are you known as Kenshiro?"

Jagi felt like kneeling and begging for his life. The only reason he didn't was that he knew for certain his men would turn on him. "W-Well… It just that everyone knows Ken's name, so I thought I would take advantage of his name…"

"So you are still a sniveling coward? And you even carry that pea-shooter with you?"

Shadow-Rei looked between the two, at the exchange taking-place before her. "You know him Lord Jagi?" she inquired, unmindful of the way Jagi was waving frantically at her.

"This is my oldest brother Raoh-"

"I am known as Ken-Oh now; and I am here to conquer your land as my own." Ken-Oh declared, his voice even, but the earth quaked in fear of the man.

"DAMN YOU!" "YOU DARE TO CHALLENGE LORD JAGI, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT HE'S THE GRANDMASTER OF HOKUTO SHIN KEN?" "YEAH, HE'LL WIPE YOUR FACE OFF!" "WHAT'S THAT, YOU SHAKIN IN YER BOOTS, OLD MAN?!"

At this time Jagi was felt groveling was a very good idea! So saying, he fell to his knees and bowed repeatedly to his brother. "You can take it! Do whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

Shadow-Rei held her forehead in exasperation. "Stand up _dear_," she commanded; though the way she twisted the word dear, made all understand the threat underlying her sweet voice.

Fearful of his wife as much as his older brother, Jagi could only dart his gaze between the two, wondering why he taught Rei everything he knew in Hokuto Shin Ken, even his added techniques…

Ken-Oh's gaze shifted – whether it was harder or more curious was not something anyone really cared about.

Rei walked up to the prostrate man and kicked him in shin. "You are a Hokuto Shin Ken Grandmaster, _dear_; if you disgrace the school any further I will have you commit Seppuku to restore the honor lost."

'Oh Shit! I never should have signed that damned contract!' he pondered, not willing to remember the day his wife "coerced" him into signing it. Seeing as he would die either way, he rose to his feet, clutching his hands in a submissive manner.

Ken-Oh looked quite amused by this time. "You are the Grandmaster of Hokuto Shin Ken? Yet you cower to your wife and beg for lenience from me?"

When Jagi looked ready to bolt, Rei began tapping her foot, and her gripped tightened over so much on the katana over her shoulder.

"I see," Ken-Oh released a deep-throated laugh. "I assume it was her idea to train the gatekeepers in your style as well?"

Jagi nodded fervently, hoping to pass the focus to someone else. "Yeah! That's right, it's **her** fault!"

At this, Rei rolled her eyes. "Story of my life…" She dropped into a Musabetsu stance, the weight supported on the back leg, while the front readied to launch her airborne.

"WAHAHAHA! If you can land a strike on me, I'll take you as my own bride; but should you fail, you will die!"

Shadow-Rei, seeing no problem either way, shrugged her dainty shoulders and leapt for the attack. "DIE!" she called.

The background zipped by her accelerated form, blurring into a mesh of multi-hued lights.

Ken-Oh projected his aura out, a technique he had made. However, it was very similar to Happosai and Soun's techniques, so Rei passed right through, landing a punch, squarely on his cheek.

'W-What is this woman? Does she have no fear of death?' he pondered. Ken-Oh dismounted from his enormous horse and let his aura spread to full, radiating Kill Intent to a magnitude only Rei had ever felt before.

"Woman, You have forced me to take you seriously. I hope you do not let me down." With that Ken-Oh fell into an aggressive stance, one arm raised high while the other was set low.

Rei and Ken-Oh began to circle one another, both ready for anything.

"Lord Ken-Oh is actually gonna fight a woman?!" asked several of the men in Ken-Oh's army. It had been a major offense if they brought any harm to women and children; Ken-Oh's last example was literally eaten alive by fire ants for killing women.

For the first time since the fight with Shin, Rei felt an adrenaline rush, nearly blinding her from cohesive thought. 'Steady goes it girl! Don't want to die prematurely do you?' And like a gunshot starting a foot race, the bird passing overhead, screamed, setting the two in motion…

"W-Where did they go?" asked one of Jagi's men.

Jagi was too far in shock at the unbelievable speed and power his wife was moving at. "I-Impossible…!"

Rei's fists blazed at Ken-Oh, hoping to strike several points she had learned from Dr. Tofu so long ago, but Ken-Oh seemed to know those spots as well as the one's Hokuto No Ken favored so much.

It didn't help that this battle seemed a perfect replay of the one with Shin. For every strike she was sending, Ken-Oh would laugh and send back thirty more, though he wasn't really even trying to fight back.

"DAMMIT!" she barked, throwing all her force into a series of kicks that landed perfectly, but had no effect on the massive man. "Try this on for size!"

As fast as she push her body to move, which was well beyond anything she had trained for, Rei lashed out with a flurry of high kicks, her leg was completely covered in electricity.

Ken-Oh took the first three hundred strikes, but the lingering effects of electricity coursing forced him on the defensive. "Most interesting, but the time has come for me to end this game. "So saying, the massive man disappeared.

Rei's eyes darted to and fro, in search of the behemoth that was more nimble than she was and several times faster and stronger. "Where are you…?" she whispered below her breath and allowed her aura to spread throughout the battleground - what was once the final gate into Bear Town and now a pile of rubble, broken by the force and weight of the attacks being used.

"Behin-" Jagi called, but it was too late for Rei to react and Ken-Oh pressed a digit against her neck, though his finger dwarfed her head several times over.

What do you mean "Raoh took your shadow as his wife" Jagi?!" Rei thundered, her fist shredding the throne' armrest to pieces of shrapnel. "I want my shadow back! And I want it now!"

Jagi waved his arms defensively and bowed and scraped to his beautiful wife. "Y-Yes My Lady! Whatever you ask of me!"

Before the man could run off to who knows where, Rei stopped him with a thrown rock. "On second thought, Jagi… I've an interesting idea. Very interesting indeed…"

Ken arrives at the village of Freedom (Episode 25)

Shin entered the chamber of his beloved, listening to the way the harp played. Its music so lovely and full of life, 'Full of life?' "NO! THAT'S NOT RIGHT!"

Shin charged across the room and ripped the veil off of the woman's head, revealing one of Yuria's chamber maidens. "Grr… Yuria!"

At the front gate to Southern Cross, Yuria and her small friend, a young slave girl that Yuria had taken a special liking to, were attempting to leave the city when several men accosted their wagon.

"Hey you! Where do you think you're goin'?"

Yuria parted the veil slightly, exposing her sad face.

"L-Lady Yuria…? You aren't supposed to leave the city."

"Shin ordered that I leave. He said that Souther planned to attack soon and wanted me to escape to safety."

"What's that?! Souther is going to attack **us/**!" "Hold on a moment, I don't remember letting through any messengers today…"

Yuria pulled a gun on the two men. "Please let us through."

"Uh… Yeah sure!" the men answered, stepping aside.

It was then that Shin pulled up beside his Love. "Yuria, I won't force you to stay, but…" Shin cupped the chin of the woman that had been pretending to be his Lady Yuria, then wrapped a whip about the woman's neck, pulling tightly. "If you try to leave, I will kill her."

The woman pulled at the tight coils around her neck and sought the face of her Lady. "Don't worry about me, miss Yuria. Go! Please go and be free!"

The young girl looked to Yuria and the woman Shin held. "Lady Yuria?"

Yuria's face dropped.

"Lady Yuria?!" The girl called. So long as she got the mistress some place safe it wasn't too late! With that in mind, the girl snapped the reigns and the bound horses went to life, charging away from Shin and his victim.

Shin's superior smirk fell and dropped the woman to the dirt. "Do with her what you want!" he shouted as he straightened his car and chased after Yuria.

A few hours later Shin stood before Yuria and the young girl that led Yuria to defying him. "You, little brat, are a very _bad_ influence on Yuria. And for that, you will be taken away to die the worst kind of death!"

The girl strained against the men holding her in place. "I'd rather die than let Lady Yuria remain in your evil hands!"

A flash of light and a dull thud sounded.

Shin looked down at his hands, covered in the blood of the one he just killed. "Are my hands truly evil, Yuria?"

Yuria was to busy clutching the girl to her bosom and crying tears for the life taken.

Gossip. It's such a fickle thing. It's meaning is the passage of a message from one person to the next. Yet, it is not the same thing as word of mouth. The most interesting thing about gossip is that as it spreads it becomes more corrupt and twisted then when it started. By average, two are changed per person, resulting the total loss of the original context.

Let's observe…

The two guards Lady Yuria had been speaking to were currently freshening up after a shift change. And as they were doing so, began to joke about something that happened earlier in the day.

#1: "Can you believe that Lady Yuria would trick us into believing Souther would attack?"

#2: "Yeah, and we even bought it!"

However a passing party, picked up on only a small bit of the banter, hearing…

#1: "Lady Yuria and Souther plan on attacking!"

#2: "Yeah, and we were bought off!"

#3: "This is big! Really big!" he tells the other guards on duty. "I heard Lady Yuria and Souther are join forces and attack King!"

#4: "You're crazy! Lady Yuria trusts Lord King more than Souther!"

#5: "You know, now that I think about, I did see Lady Yuria trying to escape this morning…"

#3: "You see! I'm telling the truth!"

#6: "I still don't believe that she would betray Lord King…."

#4: "Yeah, maybe you heard that part wrong."

#3: "I guess you guys are right about that part. But I do know I heard that Souther plans to attack."

Now let's give a rumor a few hours to fester and spread…

1: "You mean that Souther really does plan to attack?"

2: "That's the word going around…"

2763: Hey Souther's forces have been spotted approaching, get to your posts!"

And so, now we arrive at the current situation.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Emperor Souther demanded, his white mask shining death on those that stood before him.

A small messenger – a man who looked like a simple villager replied. "Lord King's army has mobilized and they plan to ambush you sir!"

"I see…" 'So you sought to lure me in and kill me did you Shin?' Souther stood from his throne, his cape floating through the air. "Prepare my men for an assault party!"

The frail messenger tugged at Souther's pant leg. "Emperor, now that I've told you, release my son. Please!" he begged.

Souther looked down at the filth that had the nerve to clutch his clean garments. "Die." His arms moved in an X fashion, cutting the man's chest to pieces.

Shin watched the war that ravaged his gift to Yuria with a burning hatred. "Souther, you treacherous bastard. This time you have gone too far. HOOO WWAAAH!"

The men engaged in battle paused to look up at King as he descended into the crowd from the top of a building. "IT'S KING, GET HIM!!"

"I hear that Emperor will promote the man who kills him to a general!" "That's gonna be me!" "GET REAL HE'S MINE!"

As one, the group of fifty charged Shin, Blowtorches and various blades ready.

Shin smiled in Bloodlust and ran at the men, planning to show what he was capable of. "_DIE!!_"

A young man with pale white skin and light blue hair sat on his horse, observing the battle of Southern Cross with no visible emotion. To his back was an army three-hundred strong, each loyal to the death.

"Lord Ryuugen, shall we proceed with an assault?" questioned the man that was quite possibly his most loyal.

Ryuugen turned his head to look at the other man on horseback. "If we attack now, they will forget their silly feud and focus on us. Do you think our men can beat so many Nanto warriors?"

"If we have you, there is no doubt!"

Ryuugen smiled kindly at the man. "I appreciate the confidence, we will wait for our time. For now we are returning to the castle.

"Yes sir!"

After an hour of slaughtering Souther's army, Shin came face to face with man responsible for this battle. "Souther, why have you attacked Yuria's gift?"

Souther gave his younger a haughty smirk, quite impressive since he wore a mask. "You plan to ambush me, yet you wonder why I did not walk into it. How… amusing."

Shin grimaced, his stomach roiling at the thought getting along with the monster before him. "Remove your forces from Southern Cross or I will kill you and your men!"

Souther rolled back his head and laughed humorously.. "HAHAHAHA! I practice the strongest school of Nanto Sei Ken, you have no hope of killing me!"

Shin snarled, readying to engage in a fierce battle. "DIE!"

"WAIT!"

Both fighters rebounded from the other and landed, staring into the eyes of the one they never expected to see in this carnage. **"Yuria…?"** they ask in tandem.

Sure enough it was Yuria, dressed in her flowing white robe and being escorted by fifty slaves, each defending her safety to the death, despite their poor dispositions. "You mustn't fight each other! You already know the Laws; Hokuto and Nanto must not fight each other!."

"We make the rules now, Yuria. My might is unsurpassed by anyone! Not even Souther can match me!"

Souther growled lowly, beneath his mask, knowing Shin's words to be true. "I am the man who represents the Command Star, Yuria! Not you, nor your beloved Kenshiro has the right to command me!"

"STOP IT! Will you listen to yourselves?!" Yuria shouted, tears falling down her silky face, like small crystals. "You squabble like children! Souther! You have gotten worse in the time that you two have been united; and Shin, you can't stop second-guessing your every action. Everyday you're asking yourself if your movements are too predictable!"

Shin gritted his teeth and loosed his aura at to repel Souther's. "I am NOT predictable, Yuria! And to prove it, I will give you Souther's head as a memento!"

Souther fell into a defensive stance, his aura lashing violently. "After I kill you, Shin, I will take Yuria as my own bride!"

"NO MORE!" Yuria screamed.

All the soldiers stopped their battles to view the ongoing confrontation. Something about Yuria crying out seemed to pull at them, forcing them to give her their all, just to make her smile.

"Please, stop this fighting!"

The men dropped their weapons into a pile and continued to stare at the woman, projecting a pure white aura…

Ranma sighed, standing before him in her beautiful pregnant glory was his alter ego. "Well, never thought I'd be seeing you again, huh?"

Rei (because it's easier to differentiate) smiled lewdly at her male form. "Well, you're looking as hot as ever! I'm glad you found the instructions to that Personality Splitting Incense.

Ranma shrugged. "The old goat probly read 'em but still couldn't do it right!"

Rei giggled, a sound like music. "So, what's the plan, my love?"

Ranma stared forlornly into the eyes of his other self, a yearning urging him to grasp at her and pull her into his embrace…

Ranma slapped himself, freeing his mind from the grip that held it. "Damn, that's gonna take some getting used to!"

Rei cleared her throat and forced down the heated flush on her face. "Yeah… Well, I'd better be getting back to Jagi."

Ranma could only nod, trying anything else was a bit too risky, and he didn't want a repeat of the last time. He turned his back to the place he called home for just over 6 months and left Hokuto.

Episode 26-the end of the Fang Clan

END OF CHAPTER

Started 12/27/2007 Completed xx/xx/200x


	6. Chapter 6

"You there! Say my name loudly!" One of Jagi's men snatched a frail man from the crowd of frightened men and women. "Do it Quickly!" Jagi demanded, pulling his vest open and exposing his seven scars.

Two men, holding both his arms and a loch of his hair, were holding up a young man from behind. As tears ran freely down his cheeks, "I-I don't know!"

"Huh! What was that?! You've never heard of the man with seven scars?"

"We have, but that guys not him! He can't be Kenshiro!"

Jagi raced to the man and grabbed his collar, hoisting him into the air. "Hey! What did you just say?! _I'M_ KENSHIRO, GOT IT?!"

The man trembled, fearful of his life. "Y-Yes!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?! I DON'T KNOW WHO YER TALKIN' TOO!" Jagi demanded.

The man shakily nodded. "Yes, Lord Kenshiro!"

Jagi and his men laughed heartily.

"Can this be the real Kenshiro? The man who defeated Devil Reborn and the Fang Clan?" "Don't be fooled; we met the real Kenshiro, and he said he'll be back!" Were a few of the hushed whispers as the townspeople pondered on the identity of the man who managed to break through their fortified walls.

"Man, I've missed this feeling! HEY, YOU THERE!" Jagi called, pointing to a man with a brown cloak over his head and shoulders – obviously a traveler.

The man turned to face Jagi, thought the hood of the cloth covered his face and eyes.

"What's my name?!"

"Jagi."

"W-WHAT?!" retorted one of the masters of Hokuto Shin Ken. "YOU WANNA DIE OR SOMETHIN'?!"

The man cracked his knuckles and began a slow pace toward the group. "You pigs are the ones that will die."

"You wanna be a tough guy, eh?" questioned Jagi.

"…"

"Maybe you haven't heard, but I just finished killing the entire Fang Clan!" Jagi shouted haughtily.

Ken continued his slow pace, not worried in the least. "Your days of victimizing these innocent people are over, Jagi."

Jagi growled and ran at Ken, striking at Ken's chest with a hundred spear-hand attacks. "Hokuto Shin Ken Ultimate Technique! Death By Brutal Blows!"

The man easily avoided being skewered and retreated a pace, wondering about the attack that was just used against him. Then, the man's cloak fell from his head, revealing his face.

The lack of reaction from Jagi and his men told Ken exactly what he needed to know. "You are not Jagi! Who are you?!"

"I told you, I'm Kenshiro, the Successor of Hokuto No Ken!" The man dressed as Jagi shouted.

"Where is Jagi?" Ken demanded, his eyes covered in the dark of shadows.

Jagi turned a questioning eye to the men around him, all enjoyed a good laugh. "I killed him after he taught me Hokuto Shin Ken!"

"What?!" Ken thundered, his eyes growing darker still.

"That's right! He trained me a little too well, I'd say…" The Jagi impersonator pulled out his pistol and aimed it at Ken. "If you're really Jagi's brother, then I'm gonna have to kill you from here!"

Several shots rang into the sky…

Jagi locked eyes with Souther and Shin, each sending a silent message, only known between the Masters of their styles. To anyone observing they appeared to be ready to kill each other, flexing their muscles and grinding their teeth.

After a few eternities, the three howled in laughter.

"Today is the day that Hokuto and Nanto rule the world together!" Jagi shouted, clasping hands with Shin, then Souther.

Souther's superior smirk was quite frightening, considering her didn't have on his mask at the moment. "With the three of us and Yuria, the people's goddess, there will be no one to oppose our might!"

Shin smiled cruelly, thinking of the look on Kenshiro's face when he learned his brother joined the Holy Cross Army.

Lady Yuria refused to shed her tears as she played out her loneliness on her harp.

"Psst! Lady Yuria," came a whisper from the shadows.

Yuria was up in a flash, a long needle-like blade in her hand. "Who's there?!" she hissed. The voice sounded familiar, but it was impossible that the owner was in Southern Cross.

"The walls have ears, My Lady, so my words must be chosen carefully."

Yuria relaxed, with a look of overwhelming joy in her eyes. "R-Ranma? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. I've come to give you a gift…"

Ken watched as a handful of men charged him, using techniques only known by a Hokuto Shin Ken practitioner. "You murdered my older brother you filthy swine! For that, **I will **_**never**_** forgive you.** HOOORRRRAAAAA!!" Ken's shirt, wristband and wrist wrap shredded to pieces.

Several of the onlookers cheered Ken on, knowing that Ken would be victorious. "GET HIM KEN!" "SHOW THAT BANDIT WHAT THE REAL DEAL CAN DO!"

From the sidelines, where he and Mamiya were guarding the children, Rei stepped into the street and stood at Ken's side. "Ken…"

"…"

"I told you that I would gladly die at your side. These men all know Hokuto Shin Ken, I've been watching them."

Ken's face did not change as he extended an arm to block his friend. "There can be only one successor to Hokuto Shin Ken; and as it's current successor it is my duty to seal their fists."

Rei nodded, hating this even more than before. "Those kids and Mamiya are waiting for you, don't die."

Ken nodded and took a few steps toward what could be his last fight…

Shin entered the personal chamber of Yuria's only to find that there was no one and no harp there. "Yuria?" he called into the depths of the room. "Yuria, answer me!"

As panic began to sink in, Shin ran around the room in circles, hoping to find the woman playing a game, rather than leaving him again. "YURIA! YURIA?! **YURIA?! **_**YURIAAAA?!**_"

"Nooo-OOOOO!!" he screamed as he smashed a stone pillar into ash.

A pair of men leapt through the air screaming bloody murder with their fists blazing at incredible speeds.

Ken didn't even flinch as he drove his index finger into the cavity between the first man's collarbones. The second man was just as easily dealt with when Ken pressed his fingertips to the underside of the man's fists. "You are not permitted to know Hokuto Shin Ken."

"Damn you!" shouted the second man as his fingers exploded into stumps of blood.

"What the hell do you think you're doin?!" came the voice of the first man, who was pressing several points to reverse Ken's technique. "That pathetic move wouldn't even beat a child that trained in Hokuto Shin Ken! You better take me serious, or you're gonna die quickly!"

Ken showed no expression, he just picked up feet and began walking at the man. "For spitting on the face of Hokuto, **I will not forgive you!**" With that, Ken flashed forward, fist flying in a circular pattern, as he seemed to glide over the ground.

"UH-H-H-H…" was as far as the man got, before his body was strewn apart.

"You will all die for your abuse of Hokuto Shin Ken Law."

The men were visibly shaken, but refused to retreat as they had nowhere to run. "Wh-What are you doing?! Quit shaking like leaves and kill him!" shouted the Jagi impersonator as he booted the men forward.

"**Hokuto Three-Man Smash!" **three men shouted as they charged Ken.

"Huh?"

Like a mighty torrent, the three men charged one from the air, one on the ground and the third slipping around behind Ken. Ken kicked the man in the air, sending him flying back, drove an elbow into the face of the man behind him and a knees into the face of the man in the front.

"Hokuto Senjuu Satsu! (North Star Thousand Hand Smash!)" came from before Ken, as the man dressed like Jagi attacked, his fists in spear-hand form.

Ken caught the two arms before even one blow could be landed. "Hokuto can not be mastered by filth like you." Ken embedded his thumbs into the man's head, just above and behind the temples. "You will die in seven seconds."

"No WAY!" the man screamed and tried running only to blow up in mid step.

Ken cracked his knuckles and looked to the remaining four men. "Come."

"N-No way! I'm out of here!" shouted one. "Move it, so I can go!" came a second as he tripped over a few men, boxing him in.

"You bunch of cowards!" shouted a third man that stood his ground.

Rei appeared before the retreating two and slashed in a 7, followed by a J, U, 9 and an F. "SHOWWWW WHOOOOO-WAAA… HA!"

"Wh-What do you think you're doing?!" shouted one man a moment before falling to chunks of flesh.

The second man who had turned on his heel and ran right into Ken. "K-K-Killed?" he asked, begging the answer to be no.

Ken cracked his knuckles, his face hidden in shadow. Ken poked his index fingers into the bridge of the man's clavicles, then turned and walked away.

The man let out a breath of relief. "Whew! I thought he was gonna kill me," he informed Rei, who stood at the man's back.

Ken spoke over his shoulders. "You are already dead."

"B-But-" and then he was no more!

Using a highly detailed Gen Jutsu (Illusion Technique) Ranma was now a dead ringer for Yuria. Even the way e played the harp was an exact duplicate, based on Ranma's ability to see and mimic.

Shin entered the room and stared at the forlorn Yuria as she stared into the distance. "Yuria! Where did you go to?" he demanded.

Yuria refused to look into Shin's eyes. "I took my harp and played for the children you orphaned."

Shin grit his teeth. "You should have told me, or let someone know."

Yuria closed her eyes, but the playing continued. "Shin, when you look at me, what do you see? I am nothing more than caged wild bird."

Shin walked to the veranda and gestured at the entire, beautiful city. "I have given you the largest cage you ever ask for! I have allied with one of the men I hate more than anyone, just to provide you with the world. Yuria! Why won't you open your heart to me?"

"Because…" Yuria's gaze dropped and the music came to a lingering end. "Because, I love someone else, Shin. I am in love with…" Yuria's form began to waver, distorting to display two different outlines. "Souther!" At the last, Ranma was revealed, a smirk on his face and a grenade in his hand.

"Ranma…" Shin growled, the word coming out like poison.

"In the flesh, Shin-baby!"

"Where is Yuria?" Shin demanded, preparing for a battle.

Ranma shrugged. "Dunno. I stopped by to rescue her, but I found you instead. Maybe she jumped?" Ranma stepped out, onto the veranda and looked down at the ground, where the form of Yuria's broken body laid. "N-No way…" Ranma remarked, tears rising to his eyes at the sight.

Shin's eyes widened and he rushed to the railing, looking down at the ground. "Yuria…" Shin whispered, his voice sounding broken.

"Guess she would rather die than live with you; even knowing that Ken was on his way here…"

Shin bared his teeth and turned on Ranma like a rabid animal. "DIE!" His hands blurred as he reached speeds he was reserving for the battle with Ken.

Ranma was pushing his abilities to the limit, just to dodge the oncoming strikes. "Whoa, big guy! I was just kidding!"

It didn't matter what Ranma said at this point as Shin had finally snapped. Palms, spear-hands, fists, claws and legs came at Ranma from every direction. "Akuma No Nanto Zan Ha! (The South Star Devil's Slicing Wave!)"

Ranma suddenly found that he couldn't keep up and had the tendons to his knees, ankles, elbows and wrists cut. He fell limply to the floor, only able to twist his neck up to view Shin's pristine blue-on-white boot.

Shin knelt low and lifted Ranma's head to stare him in the face. "It's too late to bow now, Ranma! HU-WHAHAHAHA!" Shin tossed his head back and roared with orgasmic laughter…

Ranma came to, shackled with manacles on his arms and legs, suspended in the air. His head rung from the beating he got earlier and his bleeding wounds hadn't made any attempt at healing yet.

The sound of a boot scuffing the ground alerted Ranma to the other occupant in his dark room. Shin sat in a chair, his legs crossed and his cape being held by two young women. "So he finally awakens."

Ranma grimaced when he tried to spit at Shin. In a dry, cracked voice, Ranma hoarsely questioned. "Where am I? Shin…?" It took several moments before the pieces began to fall into place, but when it did….

Ranma felt like snapping his fingers, but couldn't. "I knew you were the devil Shin. Now that I'm locked up in hell, I have proof…"

Shin grinned cattily, even while jamming an electric cattle prod into Ranma's gut. "What's the matter, Ranma? You seem to be experiencing a bit of discomfort."

Ranma, with his body writhing to the electrical currents, was unable to respond; unless you included screams of intense pain and suffering a reply.

Shin removed the prod from the bleeding hole in Ranma's twitching stomach. "I found this little toy while I was stripping you. I hope you don't mind my forwardness."

Ranma smirked, or as close to as his lips could – twitching as they were. "No problem Shin, I remember the nights you would come to me and ask for services," Ranma returned mirthfully.

Shin lost his smile and jabbed the prod into Ranma, this time in a new location. "When you are ready to behave seriously, I will remove this stick."

Skipping forward for about an hour of constant electrical bombardment at several different voltage settings, and we see Ken finally letting the stick out. He brought the tip to Ranma's mouth and pressed it in. "How do you like the taste of your own blood Ranma?"

As Shin removed it, Ranma's body slumped limply, but that didn't stop the man from talking. "It's a bit… tangy. Could use some… sugar or cinnamon… Heh…"

Shin grit his teeth. "So you think I am playing around with you? That's fine, why don't we see how your daughter deals with pain, eh?"

A drop curtain was slid out of the way, revealing Ranma's daughter Princess-Hime, locked in a metal cage with a look of fright on her face. "Dad?! W-what's going on?"

Shin laughed and walked over to the cage. "Let's see what happens when I press this rod to her cage, eh Ranma?"

"Shin! I swear if you do anything to her I'll see that you pay it back a hundred- no a thousand fold!" Ranma roared, struggling against his bindings.

"A threat that you can't live up to. You seem to be in a habit of doing those lately…"

Shin pressed the rod against the cage, allowing the current to make the young girl scream. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He removed the rod and smiled at Ranma as he struggled feebly to break his shackles.

"Let's hear some music, Ranma."

"AH! AH! AH! AAAHHHH! AH! AH! AH! AHHHHHHH!" The girl could not help but scream as Shin prodded her to the score of Beethoven' Symphony Number 9.

"Such a delightful screamer, she is. Don't you agree Ranma?" Shin questioned.

Ranma was literally frothing of the mouth and using every bit of ki and physical strength he had to snap the chains, which actually worked.

However, he had forgotten about having so many cut tendons and fell with a splat to the ground, where he proceeded to crawl to his daughter's cage. "I'll… Kill you… Shin!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! You will never reach my level Ranma! While you may be a fighting genius, I am a genius's genius! And an adept at that!"

Souther and Jagi watched as the Hokuto-Nanto Army laid siege to Utopia. The men trained by Shin and Jagi mowing through every person that opposed them.

"You have done well in training your fighters, Jagi." Souther supplied.

Jagi cackled in bloodlust delight. "That's the best part, my wife trained 'em while I sat back and let her!"

Souther joined the other man's cackling.

They had been planning this siege since the alliance was formed; they had only to wait for Rei to be bed-ridden in height of her third trimester. Other than Rei, there was no longer any who opposed the assault on Utopia.

Shin looked down on Shin looked down on Ranma with pity as he walked out of the torture chamber. "Enjoy your quality time with your daughter, Ranma. I must go and put an end to Utopia."

Ranma listened to Shin's laughter as it receded into the distance, echoing off the thick walls of the dungeon. With Shin far enough away, he began to crawl faster to his daughter, unmindful that she seemed no worse for wear.

Ryouga sent another three men through a steel reinforced wall, and stood at the side of Ruby, keeping her and Ranma's two wives safe from harm. 'Damn you, Ranma! Where the hell are you?'

Saffron burst through a wall and impacted hard against Ryouga's chest, yet the man-mountain was unmoved. "Sorry about that, but these new guys seem to possess some actual skill."

Ryouga nodded and used one the men golden armor as a bat to knock away the men in blue blazers, crested with the Big Dipper. "Try not to let them touch you! They stick explosive pockets of Ki in your tsubos!" Ryouga warned.

Saffron nodded and stood to his feet, only to explode in a haze of white, blue, yellow and red flames. Where he once stood was now a large blue egg, emblazoned with the image of a golden Phoenix on it.

"DAMMIT!" Ryouga roared. "Kiima, get over here and take Saffron to Jusenkyo, we're abandoning Utopia!"

Kiima turned to look over her shoulder at the two-meter man and nodded. As much as she wanted to protect the dream that Ranma had worked so hard for, she knew better than disobey an order by a man who's fought in more battles and wars than she could ever dream of. "PULL OUT!" she cawed to into the sky, her message relayed infinitely.

Madame Patra allowed the image of Princess to subside and knelt beside Ranma, piteously. "Ranma, for sure you knew that I was merely projecting an image?" she questioned, though the sound of pride was high in her voice.

Ranma nodded weakly. "Yeah… but I had to… to put on a show… for… for Shin."

Patra looked at the trail of blood leading across the chamber. "So your bleeding wasn't fake?" She sounded shocked, like the end of the world just occurred. Again…

Ranma laughed weakly, but it quickly faded into wet coughing. "Damn…"

Patra forced down the disgusted feeling in the pit of her stomach and helped Ranma to sit upright. "I can't stay long, but if you tell me what you need, I can get it for you."

Ranma stared into the yes of the woman that claimed so many times in the past that she loved him. "Patra…" Ranma whispered with love. If he could have, he would have held her hand in his. "There's something I want to tell you…" Ranma's voice was beginning to crack again, giving a reminder that he hadn't been able to drink in a long while.

Patra pulled Ranma in her bosom, and petted his head, crystalline tears falling from her face. "Ranma, please don't die; I'll get you out here. Anything! Just... please, Ranma…" Choking back the tears wasn't helping her anymore and they ran large streams down her cheeks.

"Patra… Hel-help me… sit up," Ranma got out in his raspy voice. Patra complied, though she wasn't willing to , and the pale skin of Ranma was making her want to help him sit up even less. "I-" his single word was cut short by a violent series of coughs. "I've been alive for too long… Killed too… too many, for my own good. I… I deserve to- (Cough, cough) die this way…"

Patra pulled Ranma close and held on tightly. "No Ranma. No Ranma. No Ranma. No Ranma…" she trailed off, repeating the same words repeatedly.

Ranam used what little muscle remained attached to brush his hand against her cheek, wiping the tears and smearing his blood across her face. "I wish I could loved you, the way you cared for me… Good… bye…"

Patra wailed into the night as she clutched Ranma's lifeless body in her arms.

Lying in bed on her back, Ranma, the female form, jerked up, staring into the darkness, feeling a hollow sensation, telling her that the other half of her soul was gone.

"Rest well, Ranma… Rest well…"

Ryouga froze mid-movement, feeling a sensation he hadn't since the day Akane and Akari were killed in the Nerima bombing. He reached up to wipe away the blood of his foes from his face, only to find that it was a steady flow of tears rolling down his cheeks.

"R-Ranma…? Farewell, my friend, and keep fighting the strong fight."

Kiima overheard Ryouga's words and turned to see the man with tears down his face. "What do you mean, Ryouga? Did something happen to Ranma?" When Ryouga closed his eyes and turned his head away, it was all the answer she needed…

In a remote kingdom, away from the reaches of the casual conqueror, Herb and Kirin halted their motions and stared into the sky where rain began to fall; it was something than never happens in Nekonron, due the overabundance of superheated geysers.

Herb, in female form lifted her daughter and son, while sending a signal to Kirin. "Look up into the sky my little dragons. Do you see how the sky weeps?"

The children looked up, but only saw a rainstorm. "Papa-mama, what you mean?" asked the youngest, the only girl who was 2 at the present.

Herb grimaced at the term, she had meant to make Ranma pay for teaching her children the term. "Another promise I have yet to fulfill, eh old fool?" she whispered.

The two boys wrestled their way out of Herb's grasp and landed on the ground. "Hey, Ryu, do you know who she's talking to?"

Ryu looked to his younger brother than at the way the rainstorm seemed to project sorrow. "I dunno. Maybe she's talking to a ghost?"

Little Ryouga nodded, finding that his brother **must** be right.

A short distance away, Kirin was holding his wife, Lychee, about the waist and let a single tear fall. That was all he could permit for a man of Noble stature, the current ruling king of Nekonron. "Rest in peace Ranma."

Lychee gave Kirin an appraising look. "What are you talking about, husband? Ranma's still out running around."

"Yeah. Yeah he is," Kirin smiled at the thought of Ranma chasing skirts and getting into fights in the afterlife, whichever realm he ended up in.

Aboard the Shampoo, Captain Natsumi looked to her younger sister and first officer, Kurumi and both nodded.

No words were necessary to convey the sorrow they felt at losing the man they called friend….

In the city of Freedom, both Rei and Ken looked up at the sky and watched as a star fell, streaking through the midday sky.

While neither realized they knew the same man, they both spent a moment smiling at the passing of such a good friend; a man that tried to make his friends happy.

"Good bye Ranma" Rei whispered."Ranma…" Ken murmured.

Yuda stared into the sky, watching as it wept over his dry city. At the moment he was in his cursed, Bishonen form. He had been observing how much more attracted the women acted to its small frame and beautiful face.

While he had machinations to kill Ranma, he felt a loss at not having a supplier for the Instant Bishonen packets.

Yuda crushed the railing in his tight grip when a jar of hot water, inexplicably landed on him, reducing his last bit of Bishonen packets to nothing. "Ranma! I'll never forgive you for dying! I need those packets, damn you!"

Started 12/28/2007 Completed 12/28/2007


End file.
